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Brand New Bayswater Station Now Taking Passengers

11 December 2016

The brand new Bayswater station built by the Andrews Labor Government is now taking passengers.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan joined Member for Eastern Metropolitan Shaun Leane at Bayswater Station today to celebrate the official opening, following a massive 37 day construction blitz.

For more than five weeks, hundreds of staff have worked around the clock excavating 25 Olympic swimming pools-worth of soil to lower the rail line so trains can run safely under Scoresby Road and Mountain Highway.

The Scoresby Road level crossing is now gone and Mountain Highway will reopen without boom gates just before Christmas.

These level crossings were among Victoria’s worst. Both boom gates were down for around a quarter of the morning peak, causing frustration, disruption and delay for thousands of motorists. They were also dangerous, with two accidents and countless near misses in the past decade alone.

Once work is complete in Bayswater, construction crews will turn their attention to the removal of the Blackburn Road and Heatherdale Road crossings in Melbourne’s inner-east.

From 27 December 2016 to 5 February 2017, buses will replace trains between Box Hill and Ringwood stations while construction crews lower the rail line, upgrade Blackburn Station and build a new Heatherdale Station.

When this work is complete, four dangerous crossings on the Belgrave/Lilydale line will be gone and the upgraded stations will be open. Finishing works – including car parks and landscaping – will continue throughout 2017.

The Labor Government has already removed seven level crossings, a further 13 are underway, and six more removals will start next year. By the end of 2018, 37 level crossing removals will be either finished or underway.

For more information on the road and rail closures, and to plan your journey, visit roads.vic.gov.auExternal Link or ptv.vic.gov.auExternal Link . For more details about the Labor Government’s plans to reduce congestion, increase safety, improve public transport and create thousands of jobs by removing level crossings, visit levelcrossings.vic.gov.auExternal Link .

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

“One level crossing is gone, the new station is open and the other crossing will be gone by Christmas. We’re not wasting a moment making Bayswater better.”

“Bayswater is the seventh new station we’ve built as part of the level crossing removal project, which is not only reducing congestion and increasing safety, it’s also improving public transport for people across Melbourne.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Metropolitan Shaun Leane

“We promised to put people in Bayswater first and we’re keeping that promise – removing these dangerous level crossings and building a brand new station.”

“I want to thank passengers, motorists and locals for their patience while we make Bayswater a better place to live, work and visit.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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