Vic rail loop stage should be built: govt

Melbourne's 90km orbital rail line was a 2018 election promise but the project's cost has blown out. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

The first stage of Melbourne's Suburban Rail Loop should be completed even if the rest of the project is eventually scrapped, the state government says.

The 90km orbital rail line was a 2018 election promise of the Andrews Government, with work already underway on the first 26km section between Cheltenham and Box Hill.