Advocacy group Rail Futures Institute is concerned that Victorian Government plans to convert the Ballarat-Maryborough line to dual gauge will increase the journey time on that line, and add up to $40 million in unnecessary costs.
Rail Futures instead advocates the bolder step of converting the line to standard gauge along with the conversion of one or more VLocity trains to standard gauge and introducing a standard gauge shuttle between Maryborough and Ballarat, with
Melbourne-bound passengers changing trains at Ballarat.
Over time, Rail Futures envisages a standardized regional rail network extending north, west and south from Ballarat.