Premier

Getting Rid Of Two More Level Crossings In Melbourne’s East

05 August 2019

The Andrews Labor Government will build rail bridges to remove two more dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne’s East.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan joined Member for Monbulk James Merlino to reveal designs for the Manchester Road, Mooroolbark and Maroondah Highway, Lilydale level crossing removals.

Both clog streets and put lives at risk, with 13 crashes in the past decade, one of them fatal. More than 53,000 vehicles use the crossings each day, where the boom gates can be down for up to a quarter of the morning peak.

New elevated stations will be built as part of the crossing removals, with up to 450 new and upgraded car parking spaces to be built at Mooroolbark through the Labor Government’s Car Parks for Commuters Fund.

At Lilydale, the station and bus interchange will be relocated to better integrate with the town centre. Walking and cycling connections will be improved between the town centre, new station and the Lilydale-Warburton Trail.

The preferred designs are up to 18 months quicker to build than lowering the rail line into a trench — meaning less impact on residents, traders and transport users. Lowering the line would also mean extensive land acquisition, greater loss of trees, the relocation of major underground services and an increased risk of flooding.

The project will be complete in 2022 and will lay the ground work for further line upgrades, including the duplication of sections of the Lilydale line and a potential new station between Mooroolbark and Lilydale.

The crossing removals are part of a huge pipeline of major rail upgrades underway across Victoria to deliver more services, bigger trains and the Metro Tunnel. Later this month, power upgrades and maintenance will be carried out on the weekend between the end of the AFL season and the start of football finals.

From the night of Friday 30 August through to the early hours of Monday 2 September, an intensive program of around-the-clock works will require the overhead power to be switched off at Southern Cross Station, as close to a kilometre of overhead wiring is installed and a new double-storey substation switched on.

To enable these works to be carried out safely, buses will replace trains on parts of the Werribee, Williamstown, Sunbury, Craigieburn, Upfield and Geelong lines. Coaches will replace V/Line services on the Bairnsdale line.

Buses will also replace trains along all or part of the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston and Sandringham lines to enable resurfacing and drainage upgrades on platforms at South Yarra station, and no trains will run through the City Loop – with trams and additional bus services keeping people moving throughout the city.

To find plan your journey, visit ptv.vic.gov.au. To find out major projects near you, visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan

“These rail bridges and state of the art stations will transform these communities – reducing congestion, boosting safety and making it easier to get to and from the train.”

“We’re getting on with the work needed to run more services, bigger trains and a better rail network for Victoria.”

Quote attributable to Member for Monbulk James Merlino

“Removing these level crossings and building two new stations will make a huge difference for Lilydale and Mooroolbark. We’ve fought long and hard to see them go – and we’re delivering.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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