On Friday, Victorian Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum and Senator for Victoria Sarah Henderson announced the works would take place during September and October.
The upgrade will allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 130 km/h, rather than 80 km/h, between Epsom and the new Goornong station.
These works were originally meant to be completed by early 2020, however a Victorian Government spokeswoman said the scope of the project had expanded since it was first announced in 2017, to deliver additional benefits for passengers.
“We’ve worked constructively with the Federal Government to get the best outcome for Bendigo and Echuca line passengers and we look forward to getting on with it,” she said.
Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum said the upgrades would enable trains to travel faster between the major regional centres of Bendigo and Echuca.
“These upgrades are all about bringing communities closer together and strengthening the regional economy,” he said.
“John Holland has been appointed to deliver the track upgrades, which include replacing more than 20,000 sleepers, new ballast, drainage improvements, rail bridge upgrades, mud-hole removal and level crossing modifications to boost safety.”
Ms Allan said construction would also start on the new stations at Goornong and Huntly while trains were not running.
“The people in these communities have told us how important these new stations are to them and the future of their towns, so it’s great to see construction getting underway,” she said.
“By doing these station works alongside these vital track upgrades, we’re reducing the need for future disruptions on the line and making life easier for passengers as we deliver these massive benefits.”
The new station at Goornong is targeted for completion by the end of the year, with Huntly to follow in mid-2022 and Raywood Station on the Swan Hill Line at the end of 2022.
The number of weekday services to and from Echuca will triple when development of the new electronic train order system is completed in late 2022.
Buses will replace Echuca line trains between Bendigo and Echuca from September 1 until October 31.
Deliveries of new ballast and concrete sleepers have started along the line ahead of track works starting on September 1.
The Federal Government has committed $158.7 million to fund the $176.2 million Bendigo/Echuca rail line upgrade in partnership with the Victorian Government.
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