Station upgrade complete

Downer project manager Glynn Ladbrooke Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, Regional Rail Revival director Mark Havryluk and South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman. (Ivan Kemp) 282253_12

The Waurn Ponds train station upgrade will be officially completed on Sunday, May 29.

The upgrade on the Geelong line will enable 20 peak and shoulder peak services to be extended to and from Waurn Ponds station each week, with two extended services in the morning and two in the evening on weekdays.

As a new timetable comes into effect, nine-car VLocity trains will also be introduced on three Wyndham Vale services to help boost capacity.

Finishing touches on the station were completed earlier this month while coaches replaced trains on sections of the Geelong and Warrnambool lines.

The new walking and cycling path at the upgraded Waurn Ponds station to extend the existing path on Baanip Boulevard will also be completed, giving passengers access to the station from the south side for the first time.

“We’re delivering for passengers on the Geelong Line, completing projects like the Waurn Ponds Station upgrade to provide better and more reliable services to growing communities in the region,” Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said.

“This upgrade will enable more trains in the peak – which is when they’re needed most – and get passengers where they need to go.”

A community day will be held at Waurn Ponds Station to celebrate the completion of the project on Sunday, May 29, from 10am to 1pm.

Early works will also get under way this week on the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication, to prepare the rail corridor for about eight kilometres of track duplication. Work crews will remove vegetation and start earthworks to allow for the relocation and upgrade of Barwon Water pipes currently located where new track will be laid.