John Holland, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), Metro Trains Melbourne and V/Line have been awarded the contract to deliver the $650 million Melton Line Upgrade, which is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments.
The Melton Line Upgrade will boost passenger capacity along the Melton Line in Melbourne’s growing west, by 50 per cent and ensure that from 2027, modern and accessible nine-car VLocity trains will be running, one year ahead of schedule, paving the way for future Melton Line electrification.
The project will extend platforms at Cobblebank, Rockbank, Caroline Springs and Deer Park stations, allowing the longer trains to park at the stations.
A new train stabling yard at Cobblebank will be constructed, with site establishment works already underway.
The Cobblebank stabling yard will allow the new nine-car VLocity trains to start from first service to the city, improving reliability and frequency between Melton and Southern Cross – with the site also future-proofed to cater for Metro trains when the Melton Line is electrified.
Additionally, the Melton Level Crossing Removals project is removing four dangerous and congested level crossings in Melton and Truganina and is constructing a new Melton Station, which will open in 2026.
Melton Station’s four new platforms will accommodate Ballarat services and provide dedicated platforms for new Melton services, including the nine-carriage trains.
The federal and state governments are also investing more than $4 billion to deliver the new Sunshine Superhub, which is the first step towards connecting the public transport network to the Melbourne Airport and delivering Melton Line electrification in the future.
Federal Member for Hawke Sam Rae said Melton is the fastest-growing community in Australia, and its people deserve the infrastructure needed to connect them to opportunities and spend less time commuting and more time with their families.
“This is a game changer for our growing western suburbs – giving locals in communities like Deer Park and Caroline Springs the modern, reliable and frequent train services they deserve,” said Victoria Member for Kororoit Luba Grigorovitch.
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