By Jessica Micallef
Rail projects and the Sunbury Day Hospital expansion are among the winners of this year’s state budget.
This 2019-20 state budget includes $6.6 billion to remove 75 rail crossings by 2025, including the notorious Station Street Gap Road level crossing in Sunbury.
A further $3.4 billion will transform the suburban train network, including an upgrade to the Sunbury line, upgrading every station along the line and enabling the rollout of new high capacity Metro trains.
This will help cut travel times and cater for an extra 113,000 passengers during peak periods.
More than $20 million will go to the construction and expansion of 10 community hospitals across the state, including the expansion of the Sunbury Day Hospital.
The new hospital would be equipped with second and third tier services, including dental and day surgery and will expand on pathology, medical imaging and pharmacy services.
A further $49.6 million will have three new train stations built in and around Bendigo, with additional funding to plan for a track upgrade between Kyneton and Bendigo to enable trains every 40 minutes during off-peak times.
