THE Rowville Rail Link was yesterday shunted to the back of the transport initiatives queue, behind the Melbourne Metro One CBD tunnel project and the upgrade of the Dandenong rail line.
The overdue release of the Rowville Rail feasibility report revealed that while the link is technically feasible, it is at least 10 years from being realised.
The link needs capacity upgrades in the city and at Dandenong before it can proceed.
Public Transport Victoria chief executive Ian Dobbs said Metro One wasn't likely to be completed until at least 2022.
Asked whether people should not hold their breath for a Rowville rail line, Will McDougall of project consultants Sinclair Knight Merz said simply: "Maybe."
He said the proposed line ran to Stud Park, a more expensive option, after community feedback showed the corner of Wellington and Stud roads was less preferred.
In the meantime, PTV would consider improved bus services.
"It would be foolish to try and build a rail line in the suburbs that couldn't get trains into the city," Mr McDougall said.
Information to shape federal spending on Dandenong line signalling and level crossing improvements is with Infrastructure Australia.
Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews, who lives in the area, said: "This thing's decades off, there's so many other projects ahead."
He welcomed extra buses to Monash University but said "this is not what people were promised in the south-east".