Bendigo is not going to get a new train platform at the showgrounds before the Commonwealth Games, it has emerged.
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The government has confirmed it has no plans to build the platform, nine months after the City of Greater Bendigo endorsed the idea in a wish list.
The no-go for the platform comes as intensive discussions continue about other projects connected with 2026 event.
Track cycling in a custom-built temporary velodrome and a purpose-built table tennis venue are key facilities to be built at the showgrounds in the run up to the 2026 games.
This makes it one of the most significant sites for co-host Bendigo, with thousands expected to stream into the facility every day of competition.
Hopes for positive news on a new train platforms were heightened on Tuesday morning when Games delivery minister Jacinta Allan was grilled about the likelihood of a similar move at Ballarat's Mars Stadium.
She said that the three-year window until the games kicked was too short to get the work done.
"It's simply a question of time," she said under questioning from the opposition's Bev McArthur and Danny O'Brien during a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing.
"The Games are in 1008 days, in terms of the time that's needed to be taken to deliver [them]."
The government confirmed on Tuesday evening that there were no plans to add Bendigo's showgrounds to a list of new station locations that includes at Goornong, Huntly and Raywood.
Scrutiny turns to public transport options
The Bendigo council originally floated the idea of a platform at the showgrounds and Harcourt as a way to improve the local transport system.
Games director for the council, Andrew Cooney, confirmed on Tuesday it was yet to hear back about either idea.
"However, we will continue to advocate for a range of legacy projects associated with the Commonwealth Games," he said.
The failed bid for a Games-ready showgrounds train platform was unlikely to affect other upgrades needed at the site including the velodrome.
It could, however, decisively shape the way public transport moves tens of thousands of visitors around several Bendigo Games venues.
That logistical challenge is already front and centre in deliberations taking place behind closed doors.
Ms Allan last month drew a comparison with the way the MCG manages crowds of 80,000 people to illustrate the challenges host cities like Bendigo could face.
"You think about it, everyone wants to leave all at once," she told business people at an Ai Group forum.
"That is what we are going to have for the two weeks of competitions in each of the regional centres."
It would not be the sort of event regional communities were accustomed to, since it would be impossible to simply find a car park out the front of venues, Ms Allan told the forum.
A "huge amount of work" was underway with taxi companies, bus operators, and government agencies to get on top of those logistical challenges, she said.
More than million tickets are expected for Victoria 2026 sports and ceremonies, Ms Allan told the committee on Tuesday.
She did not break that figure down to Bendigo-specific levels.
"There are five host cities where we need to move people around. We are confident we can do that," she told the committee.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
