The final section of Victoria's $3.65 billion regional rail link from Tarneit to Wyndham Vale is officially open, paving the way for more commuter rail services in regional centres and in Melbourne's west.



The project, Victoria's first new rail line in 80 years, will cater for an extra 54,000 passengers a day and will cut commuting times from Melbourne's booming western suburbs and the fast growing regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Regular commuter services begin from June 21.

Ninety kilometres of new track was constructed from West Werribee through to Southern Cross Station as part of the seven-year project, including five new or upgraded stations, two of which are in the city of Wyndam, and 13 grade separations.

The project separated regional rail services from metropolitan trains to create extra capacity and delivered more frequent, reliable trains, Victoria's Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said.

Regional Rail Link project First new rail line in 80 years

First new rail line in 80 years Cost $3.65 billion

Cost $3.65 billion Caters for 54,000 extra passengers

Caters for 54,000 extra passengers New tracks: 90kms

New tracks: 90kms Five new or upgraded stations

Five new or upgraded stations Grade separations: 13

Grade separations: 13 Peak hour services from Geelong every 10 minutes

"This will be an incredibly busy train line," she said.

"Most importantly this project will enable the delivery of more train services for the growing communities of Geelong along the Wyndham city council area and for communities in Bendigo and Ballarat."

There will be significant additional services for Geelong, including trains every 10 minutes in peak hour.

"There's the addition of extra services for both metropolitan and regional passengers and also importantly, the capacity for more in the future which is about keeping pace with population growth and demand for public transport services," she said.

Ms Allan, Premier Daniel Andrews, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese were among a large group of dignitaries who took the 30-minute train ride from Southern Cross Station to open the two new stations at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale.

The project was jointly funded by the Australian Government, which invested $2.7 billion and $931 million from the Victorian Government.

Ms Allan said it was a "shining example" of the sort of "transformational" public transport projects that could be delivered when state and federal governments work together.

"The Melbourne Metro rail project is another one of those transformational projects that I continue to hope the Federal Government will see is the sort of project worthy of investing in," she said.

The Abbott Government has consistently said it would invest in road infrastructure projects but not public transport projects.