The completion of the Ballarat Line Upgrade marked an important milestone for the Australian and Victorian governments’ $4 billion investment in the Regional Rail Revival program.
Launched in 2017, the Ballarat Line Upgrade is the first completed line upgrade delivered under the program tasked with upgrading every regional passenger rail line in Victoria and creating 3,000 jobs and supplier opportunities.
The project, delivered by a consortium comprising ACCIONA, Coleman Rail and SMEC Australia, reflected the aims of the program by providing benefits not only for passengers and local communities along the line, but also contractors and suppliers.
More than 40 businesses were involved in the works on the Ballarat Line Upgrade, from water carters to concrete manufacturers, and fencing contractors to equipment rental companies, producing an economic boost for a number of regional suppliers. Businesses benefited from the economic investment, helping some suppliers to employ staff from the region and further grow and develop their business.
The project created around 400 full time jobs, providing opportunities to a huge range of workers, including nearly 60 engineering cadets, apprentices and trainees who gained invaluable experience working on a project of this size.
The Ballarat Line Upgrade delivered the critical infrastructure including track duplication, passing loops, signalling upgrades, new platforms and extra track at key stations to allow 125 new weekly services to be introduced for passengers along the line.
Regional Rail Revival projects continue across the state, with works underway on the Geelong, Gippsland, North East, Shepparton and Warrnambool lines.