Tuesday, 3 July 2018

Surveying has begun at Traralgon station as part of early works on the Gippsland Line Upgrade, which will deliver more frequent, safe and reliable services to Victoria’s east.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan visited Traralgon Station today, where experts are using laser scanners to assess ground and environment conditions. The results will inform the design and construction of a second platform at Traralgon Station – part of the $530 million transformation of the line jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments.

The project will also deliver second platforms at Morwell, Bunyip and Longwarry stations, as well as track duplication, level crossing upgrades and better signalling to boost services and reliability for passengers along the line.

The surveying builds on a six-week program of geotechnical investigations on the rail line between Bunyip and Longwarry completed last week, which gathered essential information about the condition of the line that will be used by Rail Projects Victoria to determine exactly how to build the new infrastructure the project will deliver.

The Gippsland Line Upgrade is part of a raft of investments for the rail corridor, with the Andrews Labor Government’s $9 million Gippsland Rail Corridor Upgrade program delivering immediate benefits.

More than 90 new car parks have been added at Traralgon Station, and works are underway to improve the coach and bus interchange and build a new entrance to the platform. Upgrades are also being delivered at Moe, Morwell and Trafalgar stations as part of this investment.

The Labor Government is also boosting mobile signals for passengers through the Regional Rail Connectivity Project.

More than 80 per cent of V/Line’s VLocity fleet are now fitted with mobile signal boosters and new mobile towers are up and running at Pakenham and Traralgon. Towers at Longwarry, Garfield, Trafalgar, West Warragul and East Warragul will be installed by the end of the year.

VLocity trains will begin running on the Gippsland line from August, and passengers have the chance to tour one of the new carriages at Bairnsdale Station today. Level crossings are currently being upgraded on the line as part of the Gippsland Line Upgrade to enable the VLocity trains to run on four of the six daily services Monday to Saturday, and two of the four daily services on Sundays.

The Gippsland Line Upgrade will also replace the Avon River rail bridge in Stratford and is expected to be complete by late-2022. It is part of the $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival funded by the Australian and Victorian governments, which will deliver improvements to regional rail lines across the state and create more than 1000 jobs.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

“Early works are well underway on this vital project, which will upgrade track, stations and signalling to deliver the services Gippsland passengers deserve.”

“We’re boosting services, delivering new carriages and improving mobile coverage to make catching the train quicker, easier and more comfortable in eastern Victoria.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing

“We’re bringing VLocity trains to Gippsland from August and today is a great opportunity for locals to see the new carriages.”

“These investments will make a real difference for local passengers – creating jobs and delivering the long-awaited improvements in service and reliability to the line that we’ve worked so hard to deliver.”