It is time to put tolls back on the West Gate Bridge and introduce tolls on the Eastern Freeway. The revenue raised should be used to construct the $9 billion to $11 billion metro rail tunnel from South Kensington to South Yarra.

Tolls were in place on the West Gate until 1985; the bridge must be used again to pay for vital public transport. A $5-a-day toll on the West Gate Bridge could raise $3 billion in less than a decade. With Prime Minister Tony Abbott vowing not to fund metropolitan rail projects and Victoria's finances stretched, it could be the only funding option to build much-needed rail lines in Melbourne.

An aerial view of the freeway interchange at Montague Street. Credit:Craig Abraham

Public Transport Victoria released a $30 billion unfunded wish-list this year that included new lines to Doncaster, Rowville and Melbourne Airport. The most urgent new rail project it identified was the metro rail project.

''The Melbourne metro rail tunnel project will lead to the biggest overhaul of the metropolitan rail network since the opening of the City Loop in the early 1980s, resulting in a fundamental change to the rail network and major improvements in capacity, reliability and travel times,'' the public transport authority said. How can this project be delivered without a toll on the West Gate?