A $46 million maintenance and renewal works project on the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca train lines in Victoria has been completed.
Victorian Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said the project was the biggest package of V/Line works since Labor’s $3.65 billion Regional Rail Link.
“The $46 million worth of maintenance and renewal has upgraded track, replaced sleepers and strengthened bridges over hundreds of kilometres – critical work that will keep services safe and reliable for local passengers.”
Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said more than 1500 V/Line staff and contractors worked around-the-clock during October 2016 to upgrade tracks, strengthen bridges and remove mud holes to keep services safe and reliable.
Construction crews replaced nearly 40,000 sleepers and 25,000 tonnes of ballast between Sunbury to Swan Hill.
Nine rail bridges were also strengthened, including installation of a new deck on the Taradale viaduct, and waterproofing work on the Malmsbury viaduct and Forest Creek bridge in Castlemaine.
Other work included repairing the roof at Woodend Station, removing mud holes between Eaglehawk and Dingee, signalling works on the Bendigo line and upgrades to the pedestrian subway at Macedon Station.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, said, “We’re investing in new trains, extra services and the nuts and bolts maintenance work our network needs, so passengers get the services they deserve.”
The $46 million maintenance and renewal package is part of $1.3 billion the Victorian Government provided in the Victorian Budget 2016/17 to improve regional public transport, including more than more than 170 new services, 27 new VLocity carriages and $198 million to rebuild the capacity of V/Line.
