By AIDAN KNIGHT
THE Gippsland Line will see no movement – as far as investment goes – for the next 12 months.
This year’s state budget revealed no new movement for Gippsland, as the corridor is sidetracked for the prioritisation of other regional routes.
While this year saw plenty of budget announcements for regional transport, very little applied to Gippsland.
The Allan government instead chose to boast of its previous investments in the area, by way of the additional 55 weekday and 32 weekend services implemented as a part of the Big Build project.
Regional transport received $481 million in the 2026/27 allocation.
Applying to the regional rail network as a whole will be $318 million of “upgrades to reduce delays and improve reliability”, a broad promise tied to one of Gippsland passengers’ longest-running complaints..
How well this will be prioritised and spread across the different networks is unclear, as is the $127 million pledged to the improvement of regional freight rail infrastructure.
The state government said the freight allocation would go towards “critical track maintenance across the freight network”, including replacing thousands of sleepers and upgrading bridges to allow heavier and longer trains to operate.
The budget papers state the investment is aimed at supporting “the efficient movement of goods and fewer trucks on the road”, as the state continues responding to rising freight and fuel pressures.
While Gippsland freight corridors were not singled out for dedicated funding, the region remains heavily reliant on rail freight linked to agriculture, energy and export supply chains, including Australian Paper Manufacturing’s Maryvale operations.
While the larger issue during the April-May free travel period was overcrowding, not reliability, the state government spruiked “the cost of living isn’t just about money – it’s also about time” in the budget pages.
The state government says it remains dedicated to “delivering more trains built locally”, but had no fixed numbers to make a commitment to, and that there was no additional car services on V/Line apart from the Wyndham Vale line, whose line is receiving more nine-car services while Gippsland remain mostly at three.
The Express inquired with Premier Jacinta Allan during the state budget media lockup, on the topic of increased capacity, which she chalked up to “it’s about having rolling stock provision”.
“One of the things we’re doing, this is where Melton electrification is important, is how we will cascade the V-Locity into the new parts of the network,” indicating that the line will progressively blur between metro and regional rail.
On the specifics of Gippsland becoming overcrowded, she said “it’s great to hear that people are using the service (more), I think it speaks to a real need.”
Ms Allan also went on to remind the Express that regional lines “go two ways”, with a rise in tourist activity during the April school holidays. She then diverged to confess some of her favourite holiday spots within Gippsland.
The regional transport section of the budget papers concluded with the phrase “more buses are coming”, hinting at future announcements, though no specific Gippsland commitments were outlined.
Latrobe City Council expressed sharp disappointment following the state budget, noting that the local bus network was entirely overlooked despite the government’s “more buses are coming” promise.
Council described the omission as a missed opportunity to support the region’s growth, particularly as the community grapples with the same cost-of-living and reliability pressures cited as priorities in the government’s own budget papers.
The budget placed a heavy emphasis on transport infrastructure, with repeated references and Treasurer Jaclyn Symes’ speech to “making life easier” through upgraded rail lines, stations and roads.
The government also described its latest roads package as “the biggest road blitz in history”, with a considerable share directed towards regional Victoria, while stressing that the state “only borrows to invest in infrastructure”.
The state claims the works will improve transit times for freight operators, increase rail capacity and reduce truck movements on regional roads.
Freight Minister Melissa Horne said the investment would help Victorian producers “get their goods to market faster”, while also “improving safety, cutting emissions and reducing wear and tear on local roads”.
The government also pointed to existing freight projects already underway across Victoria, including the Port Rail Shuttle Network, on-dock rail upgrades at the Port of Melbourne, and new grain terminal connections at North Shore and Tocumwal.
While Gippsland freight corridors were not singled out for dedicated funding, the region remains heavily reliant on rail freight tied to agriculture, energy and export supply chains.
Several transport measures had already been announced in the lead-up to budget day, including expanded Protective Services Officer deployments and the extension of half-price regional public transport fares, softening the impact of what was otherwise a light budget for Gippsland-specific rail investment.
The service delivery documents also referenced axle counter upgrades as part of the Regional Rail Revival program, signalling works aimed at improving train detection and network operations across regional lines.
For all the budget’s emphasis on transport infrastructure and “making life easier”, Gippsland was largely left waiting for specifics.
Beyond broad reliability promises, freight maintenance and references to future bus announcements, the state’s eastern rail corridor received little direct attention, despite ongoing overcrowding concerns and growing demand across both passenger and freight services.
