An ambitious transport blueprint proposing faster and more frequent services on the Swan Hill train line has been launched in Melbourne.
The report was prepared by the Rail Future Institute, a transport think tank established in 2013, and called for an urgent re-balance of the population between the city and its surrounding regions.
It was launched by former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer at the RMIT Centre for Urban Research in Melbourne last week.
Faster, more regular train services between Melbourne and the major regional centres have been proposed using tracks segregated from the suburban network.
Also proposed are a major rail hub at Melbourne Airport with provision for an airport shuttle and high-speed services on selected routes.
In the short term, significant travel time savings could be achieved by completing the former Regional Fast Rail track upgrade project to allow near continuous 160km/h operation over most of the route between Sunbury and Bendigo, the report said.
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