Deer Park–West Werribee railway line

The Deer Park–West Werribee railway line is a 28 km (17 mi) non-electrified rail line in the outer-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The line was constructed as part of the Regional Rail Link project between June 2012 and October 2014, and opened in June 2015, with the goal of separating V/Line's Geelong line services from Metro's Werribee line services. It runs from a junction site near Manor to another junction site near Deer Park, where it joins the rest of the Regional Rail Link towards the line's terminus at Southern Cross.

Deer Park–West Werribee railway line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	VicTrack
Locale	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Termini	Southern Cross Wyndham Vale
Stations	4
Service
Services	Geelong Warrnambool
Operator(s)	V/Line
History
Commenced	June 2012 (2012-06)
Opened	21 June 2015 (2015-06-21)
Completed	October 2014 (2014-10)
Technical
Line length	28 km (17 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	Unelectrified
Route map v t e Deer Park–West Werribee Legend km Regional Rail Link to Sunshine 17.9 Deer Park ●● Ravenhall Siding (closed) Sandringham Quarry Trust Siding (closed) 19.3 Deer Park West (proposed) Ballarat and Ararat to Ararat 20.1 Western Freeway 26.0 Truganina (proposed) 28.4 Skeleton Waterholes Creek 29.5 Tarneit 29.5 Derrimut Road 32.2 Tarneit West (under construction) 36.0 Sayers Road (proposed) 36.8 Werribee River 40.3 Wyndham Vale 42.7 Wyndham Vale South Sidings Western SG line to Southern Cross & Warrnambool line to Werribee 47.7 Manor (demolished) Western SG line to Adelaide & Warrnambool line to Warrnambool km broad gauge standard gauge

The full route of the line carries the Geelong V/Line rail service, which now also serves the two stations built on the line to serve growth areas in Melbourne's western suburbs, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale.^[1] Two more stations are currently planned for construction, Tarneit West and Truganina.

Ballarat services join the line at Deer Park, while Bendigo services do not use the line at all, instead using the other part of the Regional Rail Link from Sunshine − Southern Cross.

In 2018, plans were announced to quadruplicate the line and integrate it into the electrified suburban network, however as of 2024 there are no concrete plans to do this.^[2]

History

Main article: Regional Rail Link project

The new Tarneit station before opening in June 2015

The new Wyndham Vale station before opening in June 2015

The Deer Park–West Werribee railway line was built as part of the Regional Rail Link project, with the aim of increasing capacity on the rail network by separating regional and suburban passenger services in Melbourne's west. The line runs from Manor junction (on the Warrnambool line) to a junction site approximately three kilometres west of Deer Park railway station (on the Serviceton line), where it joins a new pair of tracks also dedicated for regional services, bypassing several stations on the Sunbury line. The double-track line had two stations built on it, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, to housing estates in those areas.

The Geelong V/Line rail service was rerouted to use the line, no longer sharing tracks with Werribee line services operated by Metro Trains. Ballarat services only join the alignment at Deer Park, and Bendigo services do not use this line at all; they instead join the other part of the Regional Rail Link at Sunshine.

Test trains began operating upon completion of the line in October 2014 and passenger services started on 21 June 2015.^[3][1]

Future expansion

In 2018 the Andrews Government announced the Western Rail Plan, which included electrification and quadruplication of the line. In 2023, it was reported that the Western Rail Plan no longer included quadruplication and there are no concrete plans to electrify the line.^[2]

During the 2022 Victorian state election, the Andrews Government committed to building two new infill stations on the corridor, Tarneit West and Truganina.^[4] Site investigation works are currently underway for Tarneit West.^[5]

References

1. "Milestones". Regional Rail Link. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
2. Hatch, Patrick (1 August 2023). "New train lines to Melton and Wyndham axed from rail plans". The Age. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
3. Lucas, Clay (9 October 2014). "First major Melbourne rail line in 80 years still six months off". The Age. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
4. "Delivering New Stations For The West | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
5. Build, Victoria’s Big (21 March 2024). "Tarneit West – Site investigation works March to early July". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 29 June 2024.