Work has begun on upgrades to Victoria’s Gippsland Line, with geotechnical and site investigations underway at the Avon River rail bridge in Stratford.
More than 50 boreholes and 120 test pits around the bridge and other locations along the Gippsland line will be carried out over the coming months to ascertain current ground conditions and soil quality. The information gathered will inform the project’s design and construction phases.
The $530 million project will include level crossing upgrades and track duplication to untangle bottlenecks, and the construction of additional platforms at Bunyip, Longwarry, Morwell and Traralgon stations.
“We’re getting things done – delivering the upgrades we need to run new trains and boost services to Gippsland,” state transport minister Jacinta Allan said.
“This is the next step in our Regional Rail Revival which will boost services, jobs and communities across the state.”
The overall aim of the Gippsland project is to improve service reliability and frequency on the Gippsland line. The replacement of the Avon River Bridge, for instance, will remove the 10km/h speed limit currently imposed on this section of track, thus improving travel times.
“It’s a huge relief for Gippslanders to see work beginning on this vital project, which will progress the long-awaited transformation of train services to communities along the Gippsland line,” said Harriet Shing, Labor’s member for Eastern Victoria.
Shing said the government was going ahead with the project in the face of federal intransigence over releasing funds for Victoria’s $1.57 billion Regional Rail Revival program, which, along the Gippsland project, also includes a $557 million upgrade of the Ballarat line, a $91 million upgrade to the Bendigo line, $110 million for the Geelong line, and $114 million for the Warrnambool line.
“Locals are thoroughly sick of regional rail funding being withheld while the Commonwealth pours more money into New South Wales and Queensland. We’re determined to make sure they pay their debts to Victoria, and we’re delivering as many improvements on the line as we can while we wait,” she said.
The Victorian government is itself providing $9 million for its Gippsland Rail Corridor Station Upgrade Program, which is to provide accessibility, safety and car parking improvements at Traralgon, Moe, Trafalgar and Morwell stations.