A 23-day works blitz during November will take place in Victoria to get the Ballarat Line Upgrade completed.
Crews have already worked more than one million hours on the project, laying almost 30 kilometres of track, building crossing loops and duplicated track, upgrading stations, and constructing a new station.
However, more work remains to enable more frequent and reliable services, including upgrading key stations and undertaking critical signalling commissioning.
While buses replace trains, the Ballarat Line Upgrade team will use the opportunity to also complete track work at the Hopkins Road level crossing in Rockbank.
“This half-a-billion investment in the Ballarat line will bring more frequent and reliable services, transforming the state’s second busiest regional train line,” said Victorian senator Sarah Henderson.
“It will provide much-needed extra services in the morning and afternoon peak periods, plus a train every 40 minutes off-peak for growing communities along the line.”
The Ballarat Line Upgrade is part of the $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival project, a joint initiative of the Australian and Victorian governments, which includes upgrading regional passenger train lines across Victoria.
This has created more than 1,000 jobs, according to a Victorian government statement.
After works are complete, critical safety testing and driver training will take place before the new services begin in 2020.