Passengers on the Geelong line will benefit from more frequent and reliable train services, thanks to the Waurn Ponds Station Upgrade, which is just days away from completion.
From 29 May 2022, the upgrade will enable 20 peak and shoulder peak services to be extended to and from Waurn Ponds Station each week, with two extended services in the morning and two in the evening on weekdays.
As a new timetable comes into effect, nine-car VLocity trains will also be introduced on three Wyndham Vale services to help boost capacity along the south-west corridor, which is the busiest on the V/Line network, and create space for 50 per cent more passengers on those services.
The project will also extend platforms at Sunshine Station to allow nine-car VLocity trains to stop there in the future.
Finishing touches on the station were completed earlier this month while coaches replaced trains on sections of the Geelong and Warrnambool lines.
Driver training will take place this week to ensure drivers are familiar with the new infrastructure before services return.
Waurn Ponds Station's new second platform and pedestrian overpass, as well as ramps, lifts and stairs will be open to passengers when trains return to the line this weekend.
The new walking and cycling path at the upgraded Waurn Ponds Station to extend the existing path on Baanip Boulevard will also be complete - giving passengers access to the station from the south side for the first time.
A community day will be held at Waurn Ponds Station to celebrate the completion of the project on Sunday 29 May from 10am to 1pm.
Early works will also get underway this week on the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication, to prepare the rail corridor for around eight kilometres of track duplication. Work crews will remove vegetation and start earthworks to allow for the relocation and upgrade of Barwon Water pipes currently located where new track will be laid.
Final designs for the project are being influenced by feedback from the local community, with the preferred contractor taking into account feedback received through recent engagement. A 'What we Heard' report has been released and further community consultation will occur over the coming months.
The upgrades form part of the Australian and Victorian governments more than $4 billion investment in the Regional Rail Revival program, which is upgrading every passenger rail line in Victoria and creating more than 3,000 jobs.
Detailed planning and development work is also progressing to help define the first stage of Geelong Fast Rail. A comprehensive program of site investigations has been underway along the Werribee corridor since July 2021, with more than 170 boreholes and test pits drilled to test ground conditions and help inform designs.
