By Laura Michell
Donnybrook commuters are a step closer to a more punctual train service, following upgrades to the railway tracks.
The track at Donnybrook has been renewed with concrete sleepers and a heavier rail, allowing temporary speed restrictions on the Seymour line to be lifted.
V/Line performance data revealed that 10 per cent of services on the Seymour line were delayed during August as a result of the speed restrictions.
Work was also carried out to remove mud holes and improve the geometry of platform gaps at Donnybrook station. The works are part of a $10 million maintenance package for the north-east rail corridor.
Yan Yean MP Danielle Green said patronage at Donnybrook station was growing, with thousands of people relying on the Seymour train line to get to work, study and appointments in Melbourne.
“The $10 million in V/Line maintenance works are important for making services more reliable now, while we continue the detailed planning needed to provide more services, more often,” she said.
The works follow last month’s announcement the state government would create extra parking and extend the city-bound platform at Donnybrook as part of a $1.57 billion Regional Rail Revival Program.
The project should be finished by 2020.
