The City of Greater Geelong and Golden Plains Shire are joining forces to call on the Victorian Government to reinstate passenger rail between Geelong and Ballarat – with the Geelong to Bannockburn section the immediate priority.

The proposal includes refurbishing the existing Bannockburn Station and introducing new stations to the north-west of Geelong and at Bell Post Hill.

More than 110,000 people are expected to live in the Northern and Western Geelong Growth Area, while Bannockburn’s population is forecast to reach 20,000 by 2041.

The service would provide residents with a reliable alternative to driving, reducing congestion on the Midland Highway, Geelong Ring Road and key routes into central Geelong – making the commute for work, business and education easier and more appealing.

The councils recently welcomed the Greens’ commitment to reinstate passenger rail across the full Geelong-Ballarat corridor, strengthening connections between two of Victoria’s major regional cities, and are calling for support from all candidates in the lead-up to the state election.

Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM

Major investment in public transport must be delivered alongside this growth, particularly as Greater Geelong prepares for 128,600 new homes under the Victorian Government’s housing target to 2051.

Geelong is growing at a remarkable rate, and we need to build the transport network our future population will need – not wait until our roads are already at capacity.

More than 110,000 people are expected to live in our Northern and Western Growth Area, while Bell Post Hill is already home to an established community that deserves better public transport connections.

This is bigger than one council and bigger than one election.

Golden Plains Shire Mayor Owen Sharkey

Bannockburn is growing rapidly, and our transport infrastructure needs to grow with it.

We cannot keep adding more cars to the roads and expect the existing network to cope. Reinstating passenger rail between Bannockburn and Geelong would give thousands of people a reliable alternative to driving, while strengthening the connection between Golden Plains and Geelong.

Reconnecting Geelong and Ballarat by passenger rail would be a transformational investment in regional Victoria, and the first step can be getting services running between Geelong and Bannockburn.

We are ready to work with the Victorian Government to make this happen.