From Wednesday, October 31 until Sunday, December 14, coaches will replace trains on the Shepparton Line for all or part of the journey.
The construction blitz is set to deliver nine V/Line return services between Shepparton and Melbourne each day.
With Seymour services to be impacted by the blitz, local commuters have expressed their concerns on the train line’s Facebook action group.
Clonbinane resident Samantha McCormack, who travels on the Seymour line to work in Melbourne three times a week, said she was not looking forward to the shutdown.
“It’s inconvenient to all of us,” Ms McCormack said.
“It is such a pain. When you live an hour out of Melbourne, and they’re encouraging people to move further out because house prices are so expensive in the suburbs, and then they do this to us.
“The length of the day is just so much longer (when using replacement coaches). You add an extra half an hour to the trip, half an hour in and an extra half an hour back, depending on traffic. The highway is pretty congested as it is, too.”
Upgrades to the line are part of the state government’s Victoria’s Big Build Regional Rail Revival.
The 45-day shutdown will primarily involve signalling upgrades between Seymour and Shepparton to allow more frequent return services.
The blitz will also involve driver training, testing of new infrastructure, and commissioning work to bring the new system into operation.
As a result of the shutdown, however, Hanson quarry in Kilmore, run by Heidelberg Materials Australia, has confirmed it will need to replace about 58 cancelled trains with the equivalent of 40 trucks each day.
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said the extended closure would strain local commuters and roads.
“When one business alone is forced to put 1700 trucks on the road just to keep operating, you can only imagine the flow-on impact across the whole network,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Every extra truck means more potholes, shorter road life, higher council repair bills and greater safety risks for locals.
“This is not just inconvenient, it is dangerous and costly.”
A Department of Transport and Panning spokesperson said the upgrades would improve the commute to Melbourne for regional Victorians.
“We acknowledge planned works can be disruptive for freight operators and passengers, and we thank them for their patience and understanding as we complete the final stage of the upgrade,” they said.
“Freight operators were notified of these upgrades in April, July and August, and we will continue to work with them to manage the impact of these critical upgrades.
“The Shepparton Line Upgrade will boost the number of return services that can travel between Melbourne and Shepparton — helping more Victorian families get where they are going sooner.”
Ms McCormack said while the 45-day blitz would be an inconvenience, if the line was improved it would be worth it.
“It would be good if they could actually guarantee that that’s what we’re going to have (additional services), then it’ll be worth the time-out,” she said.
“If it means for a month we have to catch a bus, if we’re going to get more services and better trains, well, it’ll be worth it.
“We don’t have enough peak services, and that’s why they’re overcrowded. So, if we could get some more peak services, that’d be great.”
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