Longer trains will hit the tracks along the Melton Line in 2027, ahead of schedule and boosting capacity by 50% on the line.
The nine-car VLocity trains will increase passenger capacity on the busiest services in the morning and afternoon peak.
The Melton Line Upgrade includes the extension of platforms at Deer Park, Caroline Springs, Rockbank and Cobblebank stations.
The new Melton Station being built as part of works to get rid of 4 level crossings in Melton and Truganina will open next year with 4 platforms to accommodate Ballarat train services and provide dedicated platforms for services that will begin and end at Melton, including 9-car trains.
A new stabling yard will be built at Cobblebank, which will allow the longer VLocity trains to be at Melton Station for the first services to the city each morning, improving travel reliability.
The stabling yard will be future proofed for metropolitan trains when the line is electrified to Melton, with capacity to double the number of trains accessing the yard in the future.
Site investigations have already kicked off, with crews carrying out soil and geotechnical testing as well as ecology assessments, checking underground utilities and detailed survey of the land.
Find out more about the project, and have your say on the Cobblebank train stabling yard at Engage Victoria.
Construction of the stabling yard and platform extensions is expected to start early next year, and the 9-car VLocity trains will run on the Melton Line from 2027, once the project is complete.
Additionally, the recent announcement of a $4 billion investment by the Australian and Victorian governments to build a new Sunshine Superhub will bring huge benefits to the west, enabling the future electrification of the line to Melton and the first stage for a rail line to Melbourne Airport.
