Victoria’s Government appointed John Holland to upgrade the Echuca Line which is providing transport connection to Bendigo and Melbourne.
The contract covers track upgrades, which include replacement of more than 20,000 sleepers, new ballast, drainage improvements, rail bridge upgrades, mud-hole removal and level crossing modifications to boost safety. The deliveries of new ballast and concrete sleepers have commenced along the line ahead of track works starting on 1 September.
Critical works including track alignment and platform construction will take place at the new stations.
The track upgrades will allow trains to travel at up to 130 km/h between Epsom and the new Goornong station, up from the 80 km/h they travel currently, enabling people to get where they need to go sooner. 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 construction of the new stations at Goornong and Huntly, which are funded by the Victorian Government, will also commence while trains aren’t running. The new stations will provide people in the region improved access to the public transport system. Each station will include a single-sided platform, lighting, seating and shelter, signage, CCTV and public address (PA) system and car parking with lighting and CCTV.
The development of the new electronic train order (ETO) system being delivered by V/Line as part of the Bendigo and Echuca Line upgrade is also progressing, which will allow additional weekday return services to both Eaglehawk and Epsom and triple the number of weekday services to and from Echuca after completion in late 2022.
The Bendigo and Echuca Line upgrade projects are part of the AUD 4 billion (USD 2.95 billion) Regional Rail Revival programme, which is upgrading every regional passenger rail line in Victoria and creating 3,000 jobs and local supplier opportunities.
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