The Ballarat Line Upgrade will soon clock up one million hours of work, as construction heads towards completion by the end of the year.
The milestone will be reached in early July, as construction crews embark on another major works blitz on the project.
Crews have so far laid 26 kilometres of track, installed more than 40,000 concrete sleepers and 100,000 tonnes of ballast over a work area stretching more than 100 kilometres
Track duplication, major station upgrades and new passing loops on the line are taking shape.
Once complete, the project will boost reliability and enable more frequent peak hour services and trains every 40 minutes off-peak for growing communities along the line.
Coaches will replace trains on the Ballarat line for two weeks from Monday 24 June to allow a 400-strong work crew to undertake critical construction around the clock.
During the two weeks while trains are not running, workers will:
- lift the pedestrian overpass into place at Bacchus Marsh Station
- start rebuilding the Bacchus Marsh Station car park
- build new track at Maddingley, Ballan, Melton and near Caroline Springs
- continue major construction at Rockbank Station, including demolishing and rebuilding the station’s two platforms.
Services will resume on the line on July 8, however Rockbank Station will remain out of service until late August. Shuttle services will connect passengers to trains at Caroline Springs Station.
Passengers are asked to allow an extra 45 minutes travel time and to plan their journey at the V/Line website or by calling 1800 800 007. A temporary timetable is available at staffed V/Line stations and at vline.com.au