The Turnbull government has turned up the heat on Victoria over the long-awaited train line to Monash University, urging state Labor to drop its plans for tram line to the Clayton campus.

Federal Urban Infrastructure and Cities Minister Paul Fletcher says the poor public transport links to the area are stifling the growth of a precinct which is already Melbourne’s second largest employment hub, with up to 53,000 students and workers making their way to Clayton each day.

The bus between Monash and the nearest trains station at Huntingdale has become Melbourne’s busiest bus route, and both the state and Commonwealth agree a fix must be found.

The state government’s solution is linking Chadstone shopping centre and Monash University’s Clayton campus to the tram network for the first time.