The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with vital upgrades to the Cranbourne line, with works to remove the remaining level crossings and duplicate track starting next year.
The Labor Government has today announced the timeline for the Cranbourne Line Upgrade, which will remove the last four level crossings along the line and fully duplicate it to enable trains to run every 10 minutes.
These works include building a new Merinda Park Station with two new platforms and better facilities for the 1100 passengers who use it each weekday.
Worth more than $1 billion, the Cranbourne Line Upgrade will be delivered in stages to ensure works can be coordinated and completed efficiently. Work is already underway to build a new road bridge over the rail line at Evans Road, with the Greens Road level crossing in Dandenong South the next to go.
Located in a commercial and industrial area, the Greens Road level crossing will be removed by building a new rail bridge over the road, with detailed investigations confirming this as the most suitable design. Work will start in 2020 and the crossing will be gone by the end of 2022.
Work will also start next year to construct eight kilometres of new track between Dandenong and Cranbourne, removing single-track bottlenecks that stop us running more services. These duplication works – including the rebuilding of Merinda Park Station – will be completed by 2023.
Eleven level crossings have already been removed on the Cranbourne line, with further technical investigations and community consultation to come for crossings at Webster Street in Dandenong and Camms Road in Cranbourne.
These crossings will be removed by 2025 to make the Cranbourne line the first to be level crossing-free. About 39,000 vehicles currently travel through the remaining Cranbourne line level crossings each day, and that figure is forecast to grow by about 41 per cent to about 55,000 by 2026.
The Cranbourne Line Upgrade, together with the Metro Tunnel, will boost reliability, frequency with room for 121,000 extra peak hour passengers each week and travel times cut by up to 50 minutes a day. It also paves the way for a future extension of the line to Clyde, with planning already under way.
The Labor Government is also upgrading Thompsons Road and Hallam Road and delivering significant power, signalling and platform works to enable the rollout of bigger, better trains.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
“Whether it is new stations, duplicated track or level crossing removals – we’re getting on with these essential upgrades to run more trains, more often on the Cranbourne line.”
“This unprecedented investment in rail and road for Melbourne’s booming south east is vital to allow locals to get home safer and sooner.”
Quote attributable to Member for Cranbourne Pauline Richards
“This is exciting news for our community – delivering a brand new station and room for more trains, more often.”
Quote attributable to Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams
“We’re investing over a billion dollars on the Cranbourne line – upgrading stations, removing level crossings and getting on with the work which will get you where you need to go.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020