By Charlene Macaulay
A $172.9 million train stabling yard in Wyndham Vale is expected to provide more trains, more often along the Regional Rail Link network.
Construction is expected to begin in coming months on the facility, which will be built near a mill building along Hobbs Road and will have capacity for six trains to be stabled, plus refuelling facilities, driver facilities and a bypass track connected to the Geelong line, so that trains can access the stabling yard without delaying passenger services.
The stabling yard, which will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week when it is completed in 2020, will replace existing stabling at E-Gate near Footscray, with that land being used to extend Wurundjeri Way as part of the West Gate Tunnel project.
The new facility will employ about 24 people and has been designed to cater for future expansion.
Public transport minister Jacinta Allan said the new Wyndham Vale train stabling yard would accommodate the extra VLocity trains the government is buying for the regional network, and would allow for “future service increases”.
“Having stabling located at different parts of the network gives you additional flexibility to run more services,” she said.
“This location will be able to give us the capacity to run more trains from the Wyndham Vale area.
“Given the growth of along the Regional Rail Link, we need this stabling here and that’s why we’re building it.”
However, Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the number of new train services for Wyndham had yet to be finalised.
“There is a significant advantage to this community in being able to have these facilities here. It will mean more services in time.”
Mr Pallas and Ms Allan also said there were currently no plans for new Wyndham train stations along the Regional Rail Link network, despite Tarneit train station being the second-busiest regional station behind Southern Cross.
Wyndham council city economy director Kate Roffey said the council would work closely with the government to ensure there is minimum impact on residents during both construction and operation of the stabling yard.
Ms Roffey said the council was “fully supportive” of the project.
Noise mounds have already been put in place to mitigate any noise coming from the facility.
