Commuters in Ararat and Maryborough are the big winners from a $39 million investment in the Ballarat train line upgrade unveiled on Friday.
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The additional funding, secured from the federal government, will boost stabling near Ararat station which will allow extra services to run.
Stage two of the Ballarat line upgrade will enable more frequent and reliable services to Ararat and Maryborough, with signalling and track improvements as well as stabling facilities at Ararat to provide for extra services.
Works will address a potential bottleneck through Ballarat, providing the extra paths anticipated to be needed to run more freight services once the Murray Basin Rail Project is complete, without compromising passenger services to Maryborough and Ararat.
Signalling and track works will also be undertaken to provide extra space for the additional freight trains anticipated from the Murray Basin Rail Project in order to protect the V/Line commuter experience.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said as well as assisting commuters further down the line, the upgrades would also help to ease bottlenecks around Ballarat and Wendouree stations.
“Victoria fought very hard to get the federal government to pay up what we were owed and we said we wanted to spend it on regional rail,” Ms Allan said. “This will address the bottleneck around the centre of Ballarat which will improve reliability.”
Works on stage two of the upgrade would begin in the second half of 2018 and completed by early 2020.
The latest funding announcement comes after works on stage one of the $518 million Ballarat Line Upgrade began in late 2017.
When completed in late 2019 the mammoth refurbishment will see second platforms added at Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Wendouree stations, while the platform at Rockbank Station will also be extended.
Three new passing loops will reduce peak time congestion along with a line duplication at Deer Park West.