Construction at two level crossings in St Albans in north-west Melbourne, as well as major improvement along the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca line will begin from October 2016.
Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan said the major works on the Sunbury/Bendigo line will see around 700 level crossing construction workers working around the clock between October and November 2016 while road and rail closures are in place.
The works will see the Sunbury line close between Sunbury and Sunshine, and the Bendigo line fully closed from 4 – 30 October.
To coincide with these works and minimise future disruption for passengers, V/Line will undertake works to improve the safety and reliability of services on the Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca lines.
The $46 million investment will see V/Line contractors work around the clock for four weeks to replace thousands of sleepers, tonnes of ballast and renew rail bridges along a 380km section of track.
The level crossings at Main Road and Furlong Road in St Albans are two of the most dangerous and congested in Melbourne, and work has been undertaken throughout 2016 to remove the level crossings and rebuild the Ginifer and St Albans Stations.
“Soon these two dangerous level crossings in St Albans will become history, two new stations will be built and V/Line passengers will benefit from safer, more reliable services,” Ms Allan said.
The Sunbury line will be shut between Sunbury and Sunshine while the existing station buildings are demolished and the new Ginifer and St Albans stations are built. Redundant signals, tracks and overhead wiring will also be removed and new rail equipment installed during the construction blitz.
Furlong Road will be closed at the level crossing from 12-27 October. Road works will continue during November, and Main Road is expected to be closed at the rail line from 4-28 November.
