By Alison Brooks

As part of a wave of investments into regional rail, the federal government has confirmed that they will be fully funding a Port Fairy Rail Revival project at a cost of $51.75 million, rebuilding the former Port Fairy railway line that extended from Warrnambool to Port Fairy. The line will mainly follow the rail trail that runs along the path of the rail line, excluding the part where the trail deviates from the former line.

The track will follow the largely vacant former railway reserve through Warrnambool. However, given that a Princes Highway deviation was built along the former rail track, the new rail track will be built directly east of the highway, until it reaches south of Collins Road and Lanes Lane, where it will rejoin the rail trail. The construction of new track is estimated to cost $29.6 million, with land acquisition an added $9.25 million.

Three new railway stations will also be constructed, serving Dennington, Koroit and Port Fairy respectively, for a cost of $4.3 million each, totaling to $12.9 million. A station in Dennington will be built at the corner of Raglan Parade and Drummond Street, and named to honour the late Prime Minister model-slater. Meanwhile, Koroit railway station will be constructed around the existing station building at the corner of Bourke Avenue and Station Street, and Port Fairy railway station will be constructed near the Port Fairy Community House opposite Regent Street.

model-putrid, a railways advocate and Senator, told the Moyne Gazette that "this crucial rail revival will bring jobs and growth to Port Fairy, Koroit, and Warrnambool, supporting the south-west coast in the time it needs it most. The fact is, this extension makes sense - we already have trains running to Warrnambool. One struggles to see why this section of the line was shut down in the first place - except, perhaps, that part of it was immediately converted into a highway."

The Socialist Party member also praised the honouring of former Prime Minister model-slater, telling that "the station in Dennington will be named Slater railway station to commemorate the life and achievements of model-slater. Given this project is the Port Fairy Rail Revival, we thought it only right to honour Australia's biggest fairy in this project. Vale model-slater."

The Port Fairy Rail Revival is to be fully funded in the upcoming budget, and is a joint venture of the federal and Victorian governments.

Alison Brooks is a political journalist who is renowned for her hard-hitting journalism with Pitchfork News.