Fishermans Bend, located south-west of Melbourne’s CBD, is Australia’s largest urban renewal project, covering an area of approximately 480 hectares. The precinct is planned to accommodate up to 80,000 residents and 80,000 jobs by 2050 according to the latest estimates.

This level of development would increase transport demand in and out of the precinct well beyond the capacity of current transport infrastructure. Access to Fishermans Bend is currently heavily dependent on car travel, reflecting the area’s legacy of industrial land uses. Current public transport access to the area is limited to bus services.

In the absence of additional public transport capacity, the transport network serving Fishermans Bend would become increasingly congested, limiting the site’s potential as a location for residential and employment development. Increasing public transport capacity to the area would address a significant emerging capacity shortfall, and enable full development of the site, with nationally significant benefits to productivity.