CANBERRA - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged over $2 billion to fund transport projects in the country's second-most populous state in a major pre-election commitment.

Albanese on Wednesday announced over A$3.3 billion ($2.08 billion) for road and rail projects in the state of Victoria.

Of the total funding, A$2 billion will go towards the Melbourne Airport rail link project.

The Melbourne Airport, located 20 km northwest of the central business district, is the second-busiest in Australia but has never had a railway connecting it to the city center, forcing travelers to rely on either buses or cars.

Construction on the rail link began in 2022 after decades of failed proposals. Albanese's announcement on Wednesday takes the federal government's funding commitment to the project to A$7 billion out of a total final estimated cost of A$13 billion.

The new funding will go towards building a new rail hub in the suburb of Sunshine, 13 km south of the airport, which will connect the new line to regional rail services and Melbourne's existing train network. The rail link is scheduled to be completed by 2033.

"Whether you're going on holiday, or traveling for work, getting to and from the airport shouldn't be the most complicated part of your trip," Albanese said in a speech in Melbourne.

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"Melbourne Airport needs a rail link. Melbourne needs one. And Victorians deserve one."

He also announced A$1 billion in federal funding, on top of A$200 million from the state government, for road repair works in growth areas in Melbourne's southeast and north.

An additional A$325 million will be spent increasing capacity on a railway line serving the city's western suburbs.

The announcements were made as Albanese prepares to call a general election, which must be held by May 17.

Local media has speculated that Albanese is set to visit the governor-general and formally set the election date within days.

The prime minister's governing Labor Party won power in the 2022 election largely based on its success in Victoria.

Labor beat the opposition Coalition of the Liberal and National parties by a margin of 54.83 percent to 45.17 percent on a two-party preferred basis in Victoria in 2022 compared to the 52.13 to 47.87 result in Labor's favor nationally.

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The Labor Party won 24 seats in the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives, in Victoria in 2022 compared to 11 for Coalition, which was the largest gap in Labor's favor in any state as it ended nine years in opposition.