Billions saved in Melbourne rail project to help fund Border's new hospital under Victorian Coalition plan

Opposition leader Matthew Guy announced on Wednesday that if he becomes premier after the state election in November he will stop the Cheltenham to Box Hill train line.

His Coalition counterpart, Victoria's Nationals leader, Peter Walsh, said that would save $35 billion and $8 billion of that money would go towards regional health services.

He said that would cover spending on new hospitals in Wodonga, Mildura and West Gippsland.

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Mr Guy committed in June, during a visit to Wodonga, to outlaying $300 million towards the construction of an Albury-Wodonga hospital which would also require contributions from the NSW and federal governments.

The Victorian Labor government is yet to say whether it supports a new Border hospital and the NSW Coalition government has been similarly non-committal.

Mr Walsh said the rail money would go to personnel as well as buildings.

"There was $35 billion locked into one city project, but under a Liberal and Nationals government $8 billion of this will be redirected to our regional hospitals to address our health crisis," he said.

"One of the great things about this announcement is that under the guarantee Matthew Guy and I signed, 25 per cent of this money will go to regional hospitals.

"We need the nurses, we need the doctors, we need the health professionals as much as Melbourne."

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