Improved connectivity of the bus, rail and road networks underpins a push by councils involved in Northern Councils Alliance to advocate to both levels of government to invest in the region’s transport infrastructure needs.

The alliance – which incorporates the municipalities of Whittlesea, Mitchell, Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland and Nillumbik – last week announced the Northern Region Transport Strategy and Northern Region Transport Study Stage Two: Bus Networks.

The alliance is pushing for improved connectivity of the bus network, including a new loop bus route as a first step in supporting the Suburban Rail Loop project.

It also wants a suburban rail loop bus to directly connect all rail corridors in Melbourne’s north, improving cross-corridor connectivity, and create a strong cross-Yarra connection between Melbourne’s north and east.

It has also listed several changes and additions to specific routes to improve bus connections to Melbourne Airport and La Trobe University in Bundoora.

The alliance’s rail connectivity improvements include extension and duplication of the Upfield line, and addressing capacity constraints on the Craigieburn line.

It also wants Clifton Hill exchange to be expanded to help bring capacity to the line, enabling the Wollert Rail extension, and supporting access to the Northern Hospital.

New road transport projects advocated for include an Outer Metropolitan Ring Transport Corridor to create better connections to key international transport hubs such as Melbourne Airport, Avalon Airport, the Port of Geelong and the proposed Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal and Western Intermodal Freight Precinct.

The alliance view the project as important for travel and freight route to interstate and regional destinations, and to link residential and employment growth areas in the north and west of Melbourne.

The strategy outlined the transport infrastructure necessary to support rapid population growth across Melbourne’s north.

The combined region is home to one million people – 20 per cent of the population of Greater Melbourne – and is forecasted to grow to 1.5 million people by 2036.

The alliance believe the region has not seen transport infrastructure investment commensurate with its population growth.

City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson said effective transport in the region was crucial for Victoria’s future.

“For our state to succeed, Melbourne’s north needs to succeed. Investment in the north will be critical to the economic response to, and recovery from, COVID-19 – not just for our region, but for the state, and for the country,” she said.

Northern Councils Alliance chair and Banyule City Council Mayor Elizabeth Nealy praised each of the councils in the alliance for working together to produce the documents.

“Investment in transport infrastructure for our region was urgently needed before COVID-19 … and it’s even more critical today,” she said.

“The Northern Region Transport Strategy and bus networks study provide comprehensive analysis of the transport needs of the region and were designed to align government and stakeholders in improving the transport network and to help fully release the potential of the region.”

To read the Northern Region Transport Strategy and Northern Region Transport Study Stage 2: Bus Networks, people can visit: www.northerncouncils.org.au.