Victorian region

Food processing, paper and defence manufacturing support and an expansion of intermodals are some of the opportunities for investment in Victorian communities either side of Inland Rail over the first 10, 30 and 50 years of its operations.

Benefits that last for Victoria

The Victorian Regional Intelligence report found Inland Rail can support another 940 full-time jobs by its 10th year of operation and boost gross regional product by up to $600 million in that year alone.

Inland Rail’s contribution to regional economies will endure with modelling showing how employment and gross regional product can grow in the 30th and 50th year of the rail line’s operations.

An infographic showing text that describes the boost to employment and economic gross product in the short term (10 years), medium term (30 years) and long term (50 years).

The total boost to gross regional product over 50 years could be worth up to $4.6 billion for the 49 local government areas of Victoria, building on the benefits identified in the 2015 business case for Inland Rail.

Investment opportunities for Victoria

The study identified specific investment opportunities with the help of local and international case studies, Australian data and planning, and regional knowledge.

For Victoria those include:

  • Timber and paper manufacturing to draw on production in several regions over the short-term (0-10 years).
  • Defence manufacturing support over the medium-term (10-30 years).
  • Expanded food processing over the long-term (30-50 years).

The Victorian study area

The Victorian study area has a population of 5.6 million and includes regional centres such as Wodonga and Shepparton. The area also contributes $314 billion in gross value added to the Victorian economy.

About 704 million tonnes of road freight is transported to and from this region every year. Agriculture, manufacturing and construction generate a lot of that and have grown since 2015, making them a source of possible demand for Inland Rail.

The Victorian study region looks at 49 local government areas that fall 50km east and 100km west of the Inland Rail line, including Banyule, Mitchell, Towong and Wyndham. For a map of all areas, download the report.

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