ARTC has introduced mandatory stops at four passive level crossings in Victoria’s Ararat region, combining new signs and visibility work with upgrades to a 173-kilometre freight corridor.

Railway level crossing near Ararat in Victoria
A railway level crossing near Ararat, Victoria. Illustrative image; it does not show one of the four upgraded crossings. Photo: Joshg1991 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Four passive crossings now require a full stop

The level crossing signage program⁠ ran from 20 to 22 July 2026. At the four locations in Willaura and Glenthompson, existing Give Way controls were replaced with Stop signs, creating a mandatory full-stop requirement for drivers.

The works also added advance warning signs, refreshed road markings where possible and cleared vegetation to improve sightlines. ARTC said trains on the corridor may travel at speeds of up to 115 kilometres per hour and cannot stop or swerve quickly to avoid a road vehicle.

The infrastructure manager said regional drivers can become accustomed to rarely seeing trains. The new controls are intended to reinforce a stop, look and proceed-safely routine as rail activity and train speeds increase.

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Level crossings form part of a $150 million corridor upgrade

The safety work is being delivered through the federally funded $150 million Replacement of Sleepers project⁠, in partnership with Ararat Rural City Council.

Across the 173-kilometre Maroona–Portland route, the wider project will replace ageing timber sleepers with concrete sleepers and deliver targeted track works. ARTC expects the program to strengthen the corridor, improve transit times and reliability, and support more frequent, heavier and longer freight trains.

The route carries regional commodities including grain and mineral sands to the Port of Portland. ARTC plans to take the main construction works package to the market in the second half of the third quarter of 2026.

National investment program approaches $2.8 billion

The Maroona–Portland project sits within ARTC’s Network Investment Program with the Australian Government. Almost $2.8 billion⁠ is scheduled for investment over seven years to 2032 to improve freight-network efficiency and reliability across Australia.

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