Update
After a lengthy delay to repair a collapsed stormwater drain, the project to extend the Upfield Trail to the M80 Ring Road Trail is underway again.
The path extension works are expected to be complete by August 2026.
As the extension is being built on land near the Upfield railway line it won’t impact bike riders and walkers using the existing Upfield Trail and M80 Trail.
Temporary fencing has been installed to create a safe work zone for crews who are working during the day between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
The Upfield Trail will connect to the M80 Trail approximately 50 metres west from the Upfield railway bridge over the Western Ring Road.
Elsewhere along the trail lighting upgrades between Fawkner Station and Box Forest Road have been completed
Works to install solar-powered lighting along the path between Fawkner Station and Box Forest Road are now complete.
Once the new path has extension been constructed, bike symbol sharrows and ‘watch for cyclists’ signage will be installed on Sages Road — the dead-end street past Gowrie Station — to reflect the shared road environment.
See also original announcement.
15 January 2026
The long delayed extension of the Upfield Trail to the M80 has been . . . delayed.
Announced and funded in 2018, the project to fill in the missing link between Sages Road and the Ring Road has struck another hitch with work being delayed by the collapse of a nearby storm water drain in a recent deluge.
As the trail extension will run alongside the rail corridor, the repair of the drain involves Melbourne Water and Metro Trains, and while the trains and water can move fast, decisions can be slow.
This is the latest in a series of setbacks to the project, which was expected to be completed last year.
As well as extending the trail, the project also includes other upgrades.
Works to install solar-powered LED bollards along the path between Fawkner Station and Box Forest Road are expected to start soon.
When works begin, pending approval by Metro Trains, crews will be on site from 7 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, for up to five weeks.
The path will stay open during this time, with traffic controllers on-site to guide people through the area during work hours.
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