The news comes after a recent report showed the rail project would would unlock more jobs and stimulate the economy during the long-term coronavirus recovery, halving travel times and doubling services between Shepparton and Melbourne.
Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum said following the meeting of 15 councils, he expected wide-ranging support for the project from regional and Melbourne stakeholders including the City of Melbourne.
“I think in the next week we’ll likely see a significant level of support for this project; so much support, we expect the Victorian Government will not be able to continue their stance against the project,” he said.
“The economic benefits are phenomenal, it’s more of a settlement plan than a rail plan.”
Mr Drum said the project would grant people who lived in Shepparton better access to the wealth that existed mainly in Melbourne, with subsequent rises in surrounding land and property prices allowing regional councils to contribute to the build.
However, the rail project hinges entirely on the completion of a tunnel between Melbourne's central business district and Sunshine, linking the city to Melbourne Airport.
The Victorian Government is currently considering other airport linkage options.
A spokesman for the Stronger Together Alliance infrastructure advisory group, which has been spearheading the case for regional fast rail, said there would be no speed rail without the tunnel.
“The tunnel lets you accommodate much higher regional service levels and speeds,” he said.
“In decades ahead it is easy to build a second tunnel for more capacity.
“By contrast, talk of going via existing tracks or building skyrail doesn’t pass capacity tests.”
A detailed independent study by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research showed that fast rail, with the tunnel, could bring a $189 billion boost to the state's economy in the long term.
The study showed travel times from Shepparton to Melbourne would be dramatically reduced from 168 minutes to 98 minutes, with trains travelling on electrified lines at speeds of up to 200 km/h.
The STA spokesperson said with governments desperate to find "the right lever to pull" in infrastructure post-pandemic, the fast rail was the only project that had been independently assessed to provide gains, increasing the likelihood of it going ahead.
City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Seema Abdullah welcomed the prospect of fast rail to the regions.
“The pandemic has shown that remote working is now more feasible than ever before,” she said.
“Post COVID-19, this creates significant growth opportunities for people to live in the regions, work remotely and/or commute to the city, but not on a daily basis, which means they can live further out.”
Cr Abdullah said while Greater Shepparton City Council was working with other regional cities to advocate for the project, its focus was working with the Victorian Government on Stage 3 of the Shepparton Line upgrade which will reduce travel times by 20 minutes with nine services a day.
The Victorian Government was contacted for comment.
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