However as part of a publicity tour of the project today, the Premier Denis Napthine announced that Australia’s largest public transport infrastructure project was ahead of time and scheduled to be complete by 2016.

“This project will see upgrades to the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo lines – a big win for regional  Victoria – improving reliability and frequency of train services.” Dr Napthine said.

“We are making fantastic progress on this enormous project and are

currently running ahead of schedule, although we acknowledge that there is

still a long way to go.

“On completion, the project will enable 33 extra services during peak hours, including 10 to Victoria’s major regional centres, allowing more than 54,000 extra passenger trips each day."

How this translates to trains for Ballarat and whether or not the project can ensure beleaguered   services run on time remains to be seen.

More to come.