Fresh clock faces will appear in the Ballarat Railway Station tower later this year with delicate restoration works underway.

Speculation abounded the works initial stages, which have left Ballarat North residents unable to tell the time.

V/Line has confirmed each clock will receive thicker Perspex and new powder-coated metal numbers (instead of paint).

The process will be in clock-by-clock removal with all four faces scheduled to be replaced in the second half of the year.

A V/Line spokesperson said the clocks were a key feature of the historic station and attracts attention from customers and tourists in Ballarat.

The clocks have not been upgraded since the 1980s.