People travelling to and from Melbourne are being encouraged to plan their journey, as level crossing removal works close key intersections and V/Line services in Deer Park.
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From 7pm Friday, March 3 until 7am Wednesday, March 8, the intersection of Mt Derrimut Road, Station Road and Tilburn Road will be closed in all directions.
During the closure, crews will install steel bridge sections over the road for a new rail bridge at Mt Derrimut Road.
V/Line maintenance works on the Ballarat line will also take place on an additional night of works on Tuesday.
For Ballarat commuters, coaches will replace train services on the Ballarat line for the following times:
- between Southern Cross and Ballarat/Wendouree from 8.30pm on Sunday, and from 8pm on Monday and Tuesday
- between Ballarat/Wendouree and Southern Cross from 7pm on Sunday, and from 8pm on Monday and Tuesday
Passengers should afford 40 extra minutes for their journey.
The level crossings on Fitzgerald Road, Ardeer and Robinsons Road, Deer Park were removed in 2022 and when the crossing on Mt Derrimut Road is removed by July 2023, the Geelong and Ballarat lines will be level crossing free between Deer Park and the city.
As more level crossings are removed on the Ballarat line, questions about the long-awaited electrification of the line to Melton arise.
Public transport advocates say the electrification and duplication of the rail line to Melton will be necessary, as Melbourne's outer western suburbs see booming population growth.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said before electrification works could take place the rail line would need to be free of level crossings - with the work completed in a sequential order.
"This is about sequentially, logically doing a big package of works," Mr Andrews said.
"You have to get rid of the crossings, then you can electrify, then you can duplicate and then you can upgrade signaling and track. You have to make the platforms longer so you can run more trains and bigger train sets."
However the premier was unable to give a timeline for the project, which some advocates like the Rail Futures Institute's John Hearsch say has been overshadowed and deprioritized over projects such as the Suburban Rail Loop and Airport Rail Link.
"What we are saying to the government is that there are a series of other proposals that we believe are more urgent than the suburban rail loop," he said.
"We are not saying suburban rail loop should stop, but because we think these other projects will have a benefit for a wider community, the best thing they can do is slow down the suburban rail loop and work to make space in the budget to accommodate some of these other projects."
A Rail Projects Victoria spokesperson said the slated Melton station upgrade project, and further removal of level crossings would improve capacity along the rail corridor.
