Road and rail upgrades delivering better transport connections and supporting tens of thousands of jobs for the regions will ramp up this spring.
Regional Victorians are asked to prepare for disruptions on two regional passenger lines as well as two major roads over the coming months.
Works to enable VLocity trains to run to and from Shepparton for the first time later this year will continue in the north, improving service reliability and providing passengers with more comfortable journeys.
Upgrades to level crossings between Donnybrook and Shepparton will make life easier for road users, and works will progress on a new stabling facility north of Shepparton Station to house VLocity trains.
To facilitate this, coaches will replace regional trains between Southern Cross and Shepparton from Friday 9 September to Monday 19 September, and between Seymour and Shepparton from Friday 14 October to Sunday 16 October.
On the roads, construction of a new culvert bridge on Donnybrook Road near Doreen will begin, ensuring a key link in Melbourne's booming outer north remains safe and accessible. Bridge strengthening works will take place on Donnybrook Road between Epping Road and Darebin Creek from Saturday 17 September to Monday 3 October with changed lane arrangements in place until Monday 7 November.
As part of the Gippsland Line Upgrade, work begins on station upgrades which will deliver much-needed extra services between the peaks between Traralgon and Melbourne.
These include upgrades of the car parks at Bunyip and Longwarry, a new platform at Morwell and upgrades to electrical equipment to service the new accessible overpass lifts at Traralgon. Coaches will replace trains between Southern Cross and Bairnsdale from Thursday 15 September to Sunday 18 September.
Trains won't stop at Bunyip and Longwarry stations from Monday 19 September to Friday 14 October as these works intensify, with passengers to be advised of alternative arrangements. From Saturday 5 November to Sunday 13 November, coaches will replace trains between Southern Cross and Bairnsdale.
Early works will continue on the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication to prepare for upgrades that will improve stations, remove dangerous level crossings and enable more peak services to Marshall and Waurn Ponds.
The installation of signalling infrastructure between Colac and Warrnambool for Stage 1 of the Warrnambool Line Upgrade will prepare the line for commissioning and the introduction of a fifth daily service on the line later this year.
Work will also progress on the new stabling facility at Waurn Ponds, with the finishing touches being made to the staff buildings and construction to begin on the staff car park.
Coaches will replace trains between Geelong and Warrnambool from Saturday 1 October to Sunday 9 October, and from Saturday 5 November to Sunday 4 December 2022.
At Marshall, work will continue on removing the level crossing and a new bridge as part of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade. The new road bridge will help reduce congestion, providing safer journeys for 44,000 daily journeys expected by 2031. Bridge beam deliveries may delay traffic during the night between Bacchus Marsh Road in Corio and Barwon Heads Road, Marshall.
To allow for these major works, coaches will replace trains on sections of the Geelong and Warrnambool lines at various times from Friday 26 August to Tuesday 6 September.
Barwon Heads Road will also be closed between Barwarre and Marshalltown roads from the evening of Thursday 25 August to Tuesday 6 September. Victorians are asked to check for delays before they travel at bigbuild.vic.gov.au, as well as continue to wear a mask while on public transport.
As stated by Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
"We're delivering upgrades of all the regional passenger rail lines across the state. We're building for the future and backing thousands of Victorian jobs with our investment in removing level crossings, upgrading stations and major roads."
"This is the biggest investment in transport infrastructure in the state's history. Our plans include new roads, new stations, road widenings and new bridges"
As stated by Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll
"Regional Victorians will reap the benefits of better transport services as a result of the upgrades being completed this spring. We're delivering more reliable services and better stations for the regions."
