Construction is now underway on a new train stabling yard at Cobblebank as part of the federal and state governments’ Melton Line Upgrade.

The yard will enable nine-car VLocity trains to run on the line from 2027 – one year ahead of schedule – boosting passenger capacity by 50 per cent on peak services.

The yard will be located east of Melton Station with a direct connection to the line to allow trains to be ready for first services to Southern Cross. This will allow high-capacity Metro trains to run on the Melton Line for the first time.

Final designs have been released for the new yard, which is future-proofed to support the future Melton Line electrification. It will feature dedicated facilities and parking for workers, CCTV, a solar system, and new landscaping with native trees and plants.

As part of the project, works to build extended platforms at Caroline Springs and Deer Park stations have already been complete, while platforms at Rockbank and Cobblebank stations will be extended later this year.

The $650 million Melton Line Upgrade is jointly funded by the federal and state governments.

The State Government is also funding a new modern and accessible Melton Station, which will open later this year, with four platforms to support more services. Level crossings have also been removed at Coburns, Exford and Ferris roads in Melton and Hopkins Road in Truganina.

These works in Melbourne’s west are expected to reduce congestion on local roads for the 73,000 vehicles that travel through these crossings every day.

Works are also continuing on Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1 to upgrade more than six kilometres of track between West Footscray and Albion as the critical enabler of a rail link to Melbourne Airport and Melton Line electrification.

Federal Member for Hawke Sam Rae said the project is about giving locals more room on trains and a more reliable trip, especially during the busiest times of day.