There would be an option of raising further capital, such as increasing fare revenue. The Morrison government has called on the state to match its $2 billion commitment to Geelong fast rail, but the Andrews government is investing $150 million to plan a separate western rail plan to deliver fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat. At an estimated cost of $30 billion, the new proposal commissioned by Geelong Council would see 200km/h trains run on electric tracks to Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, the Latrobe region and the Tullamarine and Avalon airports by the 2030s. The ''Stronger, Together'' project would lead to a series of towns on the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Traralgon lines coming within a 35 to 45-minute train ride from Melbourne. It would take 65 to 85 minutes to get to Bendigo and 85 to 100 minutes to Shepparton and Traralgon.

The plan is designed to stop Melbourne sprawling ever outwards, by creating better links to satellite regional towns. Slowing breakneck population growth in the city and on the fringe would ease Melbourne’s population, traffic and housing price pressures. Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said fast rail would make it easier for people to travel between the cities for work and create more access to affordable housing. "Geelong has become very attractive for people to come down and live, and we have also had an increase in work opportunities as well ... we just need better connectivity to our capital city,” he said.

The proposal states that track and fleet upgrades for Geelong and Ballarat must be built in tandem with the airport rail link, to avoid permanently "locking out" the regional upgrades. If the airport rail tunnel from the city to Sunshine were shared with regional trains, this would create massive capacity to run fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat, and even Bendigo and Shepparton, via the airport. Upgrades to Geelong and Ballarat would be prioritised and the other links progressively upgraded, under the plan. The project moves away from pricey "bullet" trains built on costly new rail corridors that require land acquisitions, and instead calls for upgrades along existing rail reservations. It states that the diesel VLocity fleet must be phased out and replaced by electric, possibly double-deck regional trains.

The plan is backed by a consortium including international project financiers, state transport officials and infrastructure lawyers. The pitch is not an unsolicited proposal and the consortium is not seeking to build or raise the project's funds. John Ginivan, a former top planning bureaucrat who oversaw a major regional growth plan in Victoria, said governments could not afford to continue putting off the major regional rail upgrade. “This starts a conversation that is worth having now, so we ensure that the current investment the government is making in rail doesn’t cut off regional rail options," he said. The Geelong fast rail would require two new electric tracks to the city, with trains running every 7½ minutes.

Of the four routes explored, the favoured regional rail option would see trains run through the proposed airport rail tunnel and surface at West Footscray. The tracks would continue to Sunshine, where they would dip for two kilometres beneath the station and continue above ground to Deer Park, Tarneit, Wyndham Vale and and on to Geelong. The project would involve minimal if any acquisitions, and cost $10.5 billion (including the airport rail tunnel’s price tag). Damian Ross from Mars Wrigley says he may have to relocate staff to Melbourne from Ballarat if rail services aren't improved. Credit:Jason South Damian Ross, operations director at Mars Wrigley Confectionery, said he may be forced to relocate some of his 600 staff from Ballarat to Melbourne.

Workers commuting between offices in Ballarat and Melbourne often cancel meetings and arrive late at home, because they're held up by train delays, equipment faults and track congestion, he said. “They’re losing more than three hours a day on the train and that has a significant bearing on their quality of life," Mr Ross said. Minister Allan welcomed the council-led proposal and said it would be incorporated into its own planning. However, electrifying the tracks to each regional town and building a new fleet within the proposed costs and timeframe was not achievable, she said. “We always welcome ideas on how to make our public transport system better, and look forward to working with local governments and communities to make it happen."