Improved transport journeys in Melbourne’s fast-growing west are a step closer, with works underway to build a stabling yard for longer trains set to run on the Melton Line next year.
The new Cobblebank train stabling yard is being delivered as part of the Melton Line Upgrade, enabling longer 9-car VLocity trains to run on the line from 2027, boosting capacity by 50% on peak services.
Located east of Melton Station, the stabling yard will have a direct connection to the Melton Line, enabling trains to be at Melton Station for first services to Southern Cross Station.
Final designs have been released for the stabling yard, which will be powered by a 46kW solar system made up of 110 solar panels, and landscaped with 300 native trees and approximately 20,000 native shrubs and grasses.
The stabling yard will also be future proofed to house High Capacity Metro Trains when the Melton Line is electrified in the future, with services running through the Metro Tunnel.
To allow the longer trains to stop at some of the busiest stations on the line, platforms at Caroline Springs and Deer Park stations have been extended, while platforms at Rockbank and Cobblebank stations will be extended later this year.
The $650 million Melton Line Upgrade is jointly funded by the Victorian and Australian governments and is being delivered alongside other major transport infrastructure upgrades already underway along the line.
A new, bigger Melton Station will open to passengers later this year and 4 dangerous and congested level crossings will be removed at Coburns, Exford, and Ferris roads in Melton, and Hopkins Road, in Truganina.
The modern new Melton Station will have 4 platforms to accommodate Ballarat and Melton services, and 9-car VLocity services to and from Melton from 2027.
