A truck driver has died after the B-double he was driving plunged off a highway onto train tracks in Western Victoria this morning.
Just before 4am, emergency services were called to the Western Highway near the Midland Highway overpass at Wendouree, near Ballarat.
Police said it appeared the truck driver had lost control on the highway and crashed through guardrails, careening into a culvert where the Ballarat-Maryborough railway line runs under the overpass.
The driver of the truck died at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.
No one else was injured.
Police say investigations are underway and they will prepare a report for the coroner.
The Western Freeway is closed in both directions between the Midland Highway and Ballarat-Daylesford Road, as crews commence the clean-up.
Drivers are being advised to take an alternative route via Creswick Road, Mair Street and Victoria Street.
Authorities are appealing for any witnesses to the crash to come forward and are asking to see any dashcam footage other drivers may have.
There have been 189 lives lost on Victorian roads this year, compared to 162 lives lost at the same time last year.
Buses will run between Ballarat and Maryborough to replace V/Line train services.
The fatal accident comes after a major collision between a bus and a truck on the Western Highway last week, which left 32 people injured, including 27 schoolgirls from Loreto College Ballarat.
