New train service for Warrnambool

THE Warrnambool train line will have a fifth weekday service from early December after Stage 1 line upgrades are complete.

A timetable change to come into effect on Sunday, December 4, and will include a new mid-afternoon service from Warrnambool and a mid-morning train from Melbourne each weekday.

The new timetable will be available online from November 18 and will alter current arrival and departure times and include journey time savings on some of the services.

Authorities are expecting a month of disruptions for commuters on the Geelong to Warrnambool line from now until December 3, with coaches replacing trains as line upgrades are commissioned and driver training takes place.
Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney said community patience during this period will be rewarded as “it’s the last step in delivering the extra services we know people want”.

The works will include completion of a new 2.2 kilometre Boorcan crossing loop by early December that will help services recover faster from unexpected delays by allowing trains to pass each other and boosting reliability on the line.

Public Transport minister Ben Carroll said the extra services will give people more travel options for appointments, education and work.

A community celebration day to mark the end of the first stage of the lines upgrades will be held at Warrnambool Station on Sunday, December 4, followed the next day by the fifth return weekday service.

Stage 2 of the Warrnambool line upgrade that will facilitate the more modern VLocity trains to run on the line for the first time is due for completion in late 2023.