That is excellent - I wonder if the experience of installing the temporary turn back on the Upfield Line has informed this and it might become a little more common.

The maintenance facility at Epping and stabling at Mernda might have also informed this.

Would be a great advantage with the Glenroy Road level crossing removal where bustitution appears to originate at Flemington Racecourse. Wonder why Essendon was not used?

That is excellent - I wonder if the experience of installing the temporary turn back on the Upfield Line has informed this and it might become a little more common.

The maintenance facility at Epping and stabling at Mernda might have also informed this.

The current timetable has 5 mins between Regent and Thornbury, but that includes stops at Bell and Preston and during construction those stations will invariably be shut.  So maybe the single track section can be traversed in 3 mins running express.  Add a service coming back the other way and 2 mins buffer and you can run trains every 8 minutes through the single track, which is not much worse than the current 6-7 minute operation during peak.

If rail patronage is still low due to pandemic levels, this will be more than enough. Thumbs up for the planning.

That is excellent - I wonder if the experience of installing the temporary turn back on the Upfield Line has informed this and it might become a little more common.

The maintenance facility at Epping and stabling at Mernda might have also informed this.

Would be a great advantage with the Glenroy Road level crossing removal where bustitution appears to originate at Flemington Racecourse. Wonder why Essendon was not used?

Might be because Essendon doesn't have the space for a large staging of buses as well as the local routes. They would have to take over the whole of Russel St, and all buses would have to go through the Mt Alexander Road tram roundabout.

Essendon isn't a location like Sunshine where the carpark can be occupied for weeks to allow buses.

That is excellent - I wonder if the experience of installing the temporary turn back on the Upfield Line has informed this and it might become a little more common.

The maintenance facility at Epping and stabling at Mernda might have also informed this.

Would be a great advantage with the Glenroy Road level crossing removal where bustitution appears to originate at Flemington Racecourse. Wonder why Essendon was not used?

Might be because Essendon doesn't have the space for a large staging of buses as well as the local routes. They would have to take over the whole of Russel St, and all buses would have to go through the Mt Alexander Road tram roundabout.

Essendon isn't a location like Sunshine where the carpark can be occupied for weeks to allow buses.

Platform 1 at Essendon would provide 'door to door' transfer had the opportunity to lengthen platform 1 at virtually no cost when Buckley Street was 'undergrounded' not been missed.

That is excellent - I wonder if the experience of installing the temporary turn back on the Upfield Line has informed this and it might become a little more common.

The maintenance facility at Epping and stabling at Mernda might have also informed this.

Would be a great advantage with the Glenroy Road level crossing removal where bustitution appears to originate at Flemington Racecourse. Wonder why Essendon was not used?

Might be because Essendon doesn't have the space for a large staging of buses as well as the local routes. They would have to take over the whole of Russel St, and all buses would have to go through the Mt Alexander Road tram roundabout.

Essendon isn't a location like Sunshine where the carpark can be occupied for weeks to allow buses.

Platform 1 at Essendon would provide 'door to door' transfer had the opportunity to lengthen platform 1 at virtually no cost when Buckley Street was 'undergrounded' not been missed.

You've missed the point entirely - it has nothing to do with the rails and everything to do with the roads around the area. Rail Replacement Buses need large staging Areas. They now also need to be COVID safe. The local streets around Essendon do not allow for this.

Works being undertaken 23-25 jan to remove the temporary SG track and connect the new SG track over the bridge at Werribee St, Werribee. Total SG closure in the area for the period. Photos doing the rounds on FB have most of the track removed already, with road closures tonight and tomorrow to remove the level crossing for good. May see a minister or the local member (Tim Palis) on site for the ceremonial removal of the booms. Hopefuly they also take the opportunity to dig up and flatten out the road through the area as the remove the rails.

Comment on FB suggesting SSR with a 49 class will do level crossing and signal testing through the area on tuesday, which seems late given the occo ends on Monday, so i guess we wait and see.

Works being undertaken 23-25 jan to remove the temporary SG track and connect the new SG track over the bridge at Werribee St, Werribee. Total SG closure in the area for the period. Photos doing the rounds on FB have most of the track removed already, with road closures tonight and tomorrow to remove the level crossing for good. May see a minister or the local member (Tim Palis) on site for the ceremonial removal of the booms. Hopefuly they also take the opportunity to dig up and flatten out the road through the area as the remove the rails.

Comment on FB suggesting SSR with a 49 class will do level crossing and signal testing through the area on tuesday, which seems late given the occo ends on Monday, so i guess we wait and see.

Further the SG between Tattyoon to Barwon Park is also closed.

Works being undertaken 23-25 jan to remove the temporary SG track and connect the new SG track over the bridge at Werribee St, Werribee. Total SG closure in the area for the period. Photos doing the rounds on FB have most of the track removed already, with road closures tonight and tomorrow to remove the level crossing for good. May see a minister or the local member (Tim Palis) on site for the ceremonial removal of the booms. Hopefuly they also take the opportunity to dig up and flatten out the road through the area as the remove the rails.

Comment on FB suggesting SSR with a 49 class will do level crossing and signal testing through the area on tuesday, which seems late given the occo ends on Monday, so i guess we wait and see.

Vicsig has a photo of a 49 class doing the testing Monday, not today. FB may have been a little out on that one, as you questioned, Galron.
So, this means the LX is  effectively "gone", bar the tidy up (finishing works, relaying road, etc). 45 down, 30 to go.

Neil

LXRA has announced where Pakenham East will be built - considerably on the west side of the freeway overbridge.

https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/location-identified-for-pakenham-east-station/_nocache

The access from the south is from a small light industrial area.

The area to the north of the station is of houses on *very* large blocks. Several will have to be purchased, or at least the backyards.

Note the comment about 'future station facilities' - this includes car parks, bus stops etc. It appears that this station will be purely for operational reasons with minimal passenger facilities. There is very little catchment area.

About 13 level crossings are due to be done by end 2021. I can figure our some most likely but I don't get up to 13. Anyone have a better idea of which will be this year. The LXRA pages often talk of 2022 but not much for 2021.

About 13 level crossings are due to be done by end 2021. I can figure our some most likely but I don't get up to 13. Anyone have a better idea of which will be this year. The LXRA pages often talk of 2022 but not much for 2021.

The Edithvale-Chelsea-Bonbeach project itself will be majorly completed by mid-2021. That's 5 level crossings. So what's makes the remaining 8.

The Cherry street one is definitely going to be complete by April 2021. That's another one.

South Gippsland Highway is likely to be complete by 2021, it's another road bridge, and it's well progressed.  That's one more.

The Hoppers crossing one is simple, with just a road bridge mostly, should be complete by the end of 2021 at best even with those delays.

Gap road crossing in Sunbury is likely to be completed early in 2021 because it's being done simultaneously as Sunbury line upgrade.

Then you also have Greens road on the Cranbourne line, which already has pillars, very easy to see that done in 2021.

The Glenroy crossing is surprisingly well ahead in the schedule, with the early works almost done, I think major construction later in the year will finish it by the end of 2021.

The two on the Lilydale line also seem very progress at the moment, and wouldn't be surprised if they're delivered at the end of 2021 as well.

I predict the 13 crossings that could be delivered by 2021, which the LXRA is talking about. The talks of 2022 are normally the completion date when all the details are complete, but not just the level crossing removal itself, like the completion of the station build and surrounding fauna and floral and the station car parks etc.

I predict the 13 crossings that could be delivered by 2021, which the LXRA is talking about. The talks of 2022 are normally the completion date when all the details are complete, but not just the level crossing removal itself, like the completion of the station build and surrounding fauna and floral and the station car parks etc.

Your sermation looks about right to me. As to the quoted comment, project completion, not just level crossing removal, often takes much more time. One i usually quote is aviation rd, Laverton aka Aircraft station. Level crossing has been gone 2 years or more, but the project is not yet complete, with the pedestrian underpass not yet done, although they have in recent weeks started on it.

One i usually quote is aviation rd, Laverton aka Aircraft station. Level crossing has been gone 2 years or more, but the project is not yet complete, with the pedestrian underpass not yet done, although they have in recent weeks started on it.

Yeah the Avaition road one is a special case where they decided to split the project into two stages, normally they're done together. Stage 1 was completed years ago, but was waiting on the other crossings on the Werribee line to progress to begin with stage 2.

No other crossings have been delivered this way, but my theory is it's because of the disruption of the interstate freight corridor they wanted to bundle those disruptions to the freight line together, as they have a limitation on how many days they can stop operating.

The second Abbotts Road bridge for the duplication is being delivered by LXRA, could be a sneaky case of double dipping.

The second Abbotts Road bridge for the duplication is being delivered by LXRA, could be a sneaky case of double dipping.

No way they could count Abbotts Road again.

They have a little Public Relations Media Show where they carry away the decommissioned boom barriers, well this has already been done at this location.

Gap road crossing in Sunbury is likely to be completed early in 2021 because it's being done simultaneously as Sunbury line upgrade.

I assume you mean 2022, Construction has yet to start, only artist impression have been released. Construction may start this year and be completed in 2022. There are other issues complicating this project that the local council and government need to resolve.

Sunbury only has two rail crossings, one is Macedon Street Bridge, the other the LX. Pretty much all of the retail and services are on the East of the Line and housing to the West, So both crossings are very heavily used. To complicate things further the the Ambulance Station is on the East meaning it needs to cross the line to reach 90% of their calls.
For about 15 years now the locals have been calling for a third crossing to be built to divert traffic away from the town centre and reduce the use of the Gap Road LX.
The state a gave the local council $10M to build this link 5 years ago, Council have been sitting on this money since sitting 'technical issues". Now that he LX removal has been announced as a road under, it has become clear that this 'third crossing' is needed before major works start on Gap Road LX.
Construction of this link was announced in December of last year for construction sometime in 2021. So I would expect this to be well underway before the LXRA start digging a giant hole in the middle of town. Major works on this crossing are more likely for 2022.

Lockie

Do not get too xited it is just the Labor Gov blowing their trumpets,  Our beloved Danny Andrews the Permier of cancelling everything in sight because it is not worth the paper it is written on.  What a windbagged loser he  will /has turned out to be.  Already his version of the metro tunnel has fallen by the wayside permanent STOP.   No money/ unfunded......................well fancy that.   Everythiing will be OK.  DON"T WORRY B HAPPY LABOR WILL SAVE US............

Oh by the way guess what, those 50 Level Crossings will be done in the next 2 terms of this Government......No Money no worries, just writed out that blank cheque from that bottomless CHASM.....................

What do you reckon now Trainbrain, 6 years later.

How would you like to take your humble pie...

Mike.

Hmm, so I suspect then that Pakenham (main) station will be moved say, south of where Target currently is - with the eastern most end accessible by the carpark maybe? There's really no-where else to put car parking unless they buy land where Woolworths was.

Your talking about big ticket grade separation, that require Christmas holiday shutdowns to regrade the railway ?

Some crossings on the list all the works would be roadwork related (diverting a road via a new overpass over a railway) not touching the railway at all, like what was done at Westall, Somerton, Berwick, Altona North, Deer Park, etc

Your looking at it wrong Nightfire.
It takes 14-18 days of 24 hour shifts to dig (includin all relevant earthworks) the ground up and place new track then approximately 4-8 weeks to get the station up and running and then complied.

If the work is done involving the railway, the railway is responsible for all the relative roadworks in conjunction with VicRoads.

50 level crossing over 8 years, impossible, heed my words.

It's a pity Mickamious doesn't grace us with his presence any longer.

https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/

The impossible has almost already become a reality 2 years ahead of time.

Mike.

Gap road crossing in Sunbury is likely to be completed early in 2021 because it's being done simultaneously as Sunbury line upgrade.
I assume you mean 2022, Construction has yet to start, only artist impression have been released. Construction may start this year and be completed in 2022. There are other issues complicating this project that the local council and government need to resolve.

Yeah media releases state late 2022. I listed the most likely crossings that could be pushed forward in the schedule and mostly likely could be possibly done by end of 2021.

For example, Buckley street (road under solution) only took from late 2017 for an early artist impression until late 2018 to see completion done (original date was 2019). So it's in the realm of possibility of an early completion but it's more likely to be done btw mid 2022 and late 2022.

I don't believe they're going to build a third road crossing in Sunbury as an alternative during the level crossing removal works, they are more likely to build a small deviation in the road while they dig the road tunnel to reduce any disruption. It's not like closing the road crossing for short periods is going to be a determining factor to delay the project. The third road connection would likely be a smaller council project that would be separate from the current grade separation works at Gap road.

Buckley street

We do not speak of that project

Buckley street

We do not speak of that project

Well at least you'll like what's happening at Glenroy instead.

Also the level crossing removal has somewhat a flyover 3D view over the Surrey Hills and Mont Albert grade separation on their Q&A video on the website.

I just edited it up to make it one seemless view. Looks really interesting when you see it from above. It might be one of their longest trenches will be completed by the massive project.

Buckley Street

We do not speak of that project

Well at least you'll like what's happening at Glenroy instead.

I feel like it would've worked as Skyrail? The line has always had a steep grade (cue flashbacks to the train rolling from Broady to SSS). Maybe Skyrail would've flattened it out? At least with Glenroy they will get DDA compliance by default

I feel like it would've worked as Skyrail? The line has always had a steep grade (cue flashbacks to the train rolling from Broady to SSS). Maybe Skyrail would've flattened it out? At least with Glenroy they will get DDA compliance by default

I really wanted Skyrail because I believe it's a far better outcome for the community than a trench but I don't think it would work in Glenroy. To get over the level crossing from the up end, the grades would actually have to be made more severe. By building the trench, they're extending Glenroy bank in length so the grades should be easier.
If/when they remove the Gaffney St crossing in Pascoe Vale, I think Skyrail would make more sense there as it would also work to increase the length of Glenroy bank (being at the bottom of the hill). Additionally, there might be flooding issues with a trench since Pascoe Vale is at the bottom of quite a steep hill.