Nearly $50 million-worth of critical V/Line maintenance and improvement works is ramping up.
Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan today visited Taradale, where construction crews are restoring the 158-year-old rail bridge that carries V/Line and freight trains to and from Melbourne.
Fifty V/Line staff and contractors are working round the clock to remove the existing track and ballast from the 198-metre bridge and install a new, 160-tonne steel deck.
The $3.5 million works at Taradale are part of $46 million-worth of maintenance and improvement works currently taking place on the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines.
The works, which will continue until the end of October, include the installation of thousands of new sleepers, tonnes of ballast, as well as level crossing renewals along a 380-kilometre section of track.
Classic Victorian railway infrastructure will be upgraded as part of the works, including the Malmsbury rail bridge and the Elphinstone tunnel.
Other improvements include replacing track between Bendigo to Swan Hill, upgrades to signalling, removing mud holes and improving drainage.
To enable these works to take place, coaches are replacing trains for the entire journey on the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines.
Temporary timetables are available at staffed V/Line stations or online at vline.com.au. Normal V/Line train services will resume on Monday, 31 October.
The works are part of the Andrews Labor Government’s $1.3 billion investment in better regional public transport, which includes more trains, better infrastructure and extra services right across Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“It’s wonderful to see the huge amount of work being carried out here at Taradale, where construction crews are working round the clock replacing sleepers and ballast, and installing a new steel deck .”
“The work here at Taradale is part of $46 million-worth of work that will be carried out along the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines in October.”
“I know the works are disruptive for passengers but they need to be done to keep services safe and reliable.”
“We’re investing more than a billion dollars in better regional services so people spend less time on platforms, and more time at home with family and friends.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020