BALLARAT commuters will board Victoria's first V/Locity train today when it rolls into the Ballarat Railway Station at 11.15am.
Premier Steve Bracks and Transport Minister Peter Batchelor will unveil the first of the 38 two-carriage fast trains at the station this morning, before embarking on the first trip to Melbourne, a State Government spokeswoman confirmed last night.
The V/Locity trains, each estimated to cost about $7.5 million, are capable of reaching speeds of 160kmh but will not run on the express service until mid-2006.
The express timetable will deliver a 64-minute service between Ballarat and Melbourne, shaving 18 minutes from the trip.
The government is spending $525 million on the new stainless steel V/Locity trains, which are emblazoned in silver, purple and green, with each two-carriage set seating 11 people.
The trains also have a cutting edge front-crash structure, designed to push track obstructions to the side rather than underneath.
The trains have been built at Bombardier Transportation's Dandenong plant and are expected to have a life span of 35 years.
The first train to take to the tracks also marks the return of full passenger services between Ballarat and Melbourne after almost three months of track upgrades.
The completion of the track works comes two years behind schedule.
Mr Bracks turned the first sod at Bacchus Marsh on October 25, 2002, pledging the project would be completed "on time and on budget".
The works were first forecast for completion mid-2003 but the project has been plagued by cost blowouts and delays.