13 LX this year are:

Werribee St, Werribee completed in January
Cherrry St, Werribee completed in March
South Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong in July/August depending on when you consider it replaced
Chelsea Rd, Chelsea closing this month although completion won't be for a few months
Edithvale Rd, Edithvale as for Chelsea Rd
Argyle Ave, Chelsea ditto  
Bondi Rd, Bonbeach ditto
Swanpool Ave, Chelsea ditto
Lochiel Ave, Edithvale ditto
Manchester Rd, Mooroolbark in October
Maroondah Hwy, Lilydale in October
Ferguson St, Williamstown announced as being complete in October
Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing listed as 'late 2021' but unlike all of the others above there is no date on the LXRP website yet.

Neil

Surprised how much they are going to do this year, with still plenty more in the pipeline for next year. Roughly 8 crossings by my guess:
Preston-Bell project by 2022
The Glenroy crossing by 2022
Clyde road by 2022
Hallam elevated rail by 2022
Gap road Sunbury by 2022

Then what is left remaining:
Mont Albert/Surrey hills project by 2023
Fizgerald road/Robinsons road Ballarat/Geelong line by 2023
Derrimut Road crossing by 2024
Glenhuntly/Nerrim project by 2024
Pakenham project (Main Street/Mcgregor road/Racecourse road) by 2024
Cranbourne project (Greens road/Camms road/Webb street) by 2023-2025

The bussubstitions will be busy busy on 3 corridors in spring out in Lilydale, Williamstown and Frankston lines areas. Make the pain short I guess is better than a drawn out process. By the time of the election in 16 months, locals will have forgotten their agony and riding the new lines. Nice to see it all moving along and I wonder if a new timetable will come in 2023 but I think not yet until more is done in time for the metro tunnel opening.

13 LX this year are:

Werribee St, Werribee completed in January
Cherrry St, Werribee completed in March
South Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong in July/August depending on when you consider it replaced
Chelsea Rd, Chelsea closing this month although completion won't be for a few months
Edithvale Rd, Edithvale as for Chelsea Rd
Argyle Ave, Chelsea ditto  
Bondi Rd, Bonbeach ditto
Swanpool Ave, Chelsea ditto
Lochiel Ave, Edithvale ditto
Manchester Rd, Mooroolbark in October
Maroondah Hwy, Lilydale in October
Ferguson St, Williamstown announced as being complete in October
Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing listed as 'late 2021' but unlike all of the others above there is no date on the LXRP website yet.

Neil

Surprised how much they are going to do this year, with still plenty more in the pipeline for next year. Roughly 8 crossings by my guess:
Preston-Bell project by 2022
The Glenroy crossing by 2022
Clyde road by 2022
Hallam elevated rail by 2022
Gap road Sunbury by 2022

Then what is left remaining:
Mont Albert/Surrey hills project by 2023
Fizgerald road/Robinsons road Ballarat/Geelong line by 2023
Derrimut Road crossing by 2024
Glenhuntly/Nerrim project by 2024
Pakenham project (Main Street/Mcgregor road/Racecourse road) by 2024
Cranbourne project (Greens road/Camms road/Webb street) by 2023-2025

The bussubstitions will be busy busy on 3 corridors in spring out in Lilydale, Williamstown and Frankston lines areas. Make the pain short I guess is better than a drawn out process. By the time of the election in 16 months, locals will have forgotten their agony and riding the new lines. Nice to see it all moving along and I wonder if a new timetable will come in 2023 but I think not yet until more is done in time for the metro tunnel opening.

The Frankston line has basically gone from one set of disruptions to another for years now.  
Having said that, the pain has been well worth it.

10 should go in 2022, unless there is more 'fast-tracking'; namely

Clyde Rd, Berwick announced as being removed in March
Hallam Rd, Hallam - no date yet
Fitzgerald Rd, Ardeer - no date
Robinsons Rd, Deer Park - no date
Bell St, Preston in October
Murray Rd, Preston in October
Cramer St, Preston in October
Oakover Rd, Preston in October
Glenroy Rd, Glenroy 'by the end' of the year
Gap Rd, Sunbury 'late' 2022

After that in 2023:
Greens Rd, Dandenong South - bridge is close to completion but probably will wait for duplication to be finalised
Neerim Rd, Caulfield
Glen Huntly Rd, Glenhuntly
Mont Albert Rd, Mont Albert
Union Rd, Surrey Hills

These are due 'in 2023-24' at present; once work is well underway they'll be able to give us a more precise date:
McGregor Rd, Pakenham
Racecourse Rd, Pakenham
Main St, Pakenham

Although not an LXRP one'
Barwon Heads Rd, Marshall will be removed 'by' 2023 as well

2024
Station Rd/Mt Derrimut Rd, Deer Park
Camms Rd, Cranbourne

Again, not ,LXRP but worth mentioning;
Surf Coast Hwy, Grovedale and Woods St, South Geelong 'by the end' of 2024

And finally for 2025, assuming it isn't fast-tracked also (unless they can find another source of funding to go on with more)
Webster St, Dandenong

Neil

I Drove past Hallam rd today, works well and truly underway

Noticed that the PTV website is now advertising bus replacements between Croydon and Lilydale from Friday 30 July til late 2021.

Does this mean that a crossover is going to be built at Croydon to allow trains to terminate there, or will trains be continuing and reversing at the closed Mooroolbark Station?

Noticed that the PTV website is now advertising bus replacements between Croydon and Lilydale from Friday 30 July til late 2021.

Does this mean that a crossover is going to be built at Croydon to allow trains to terminate there, or will trains be continuing and reversing at the closed Mooroolbark Station?

I asked a worker just that last Fridy, he did not know, Looking at the works, it appears no crossover on the Up side of Mooroolbark on the new alighnment, no crossover at Croydon, Trains will be running express thru Mooroolbark bothways, Mooroolbark closes by this Sunday night  Guses will be running, Lilydale , Mooroolbark and Croydon to cater for anyone traveeling to and from Mooroolbark.   Once Mooroolbark is finished, trains will be terminating at the new Mooroolbark, and do just what you have indicated.   No trains will be parked at Lilydale whilst the new sations is completed. Entire Lilydale yard as is currently is getting ripped up.

Glenroy Road has gone strangely quiet.
Perhaps Andrews and Allan have got sufficient new crash hats and train proof jackets.

Glenroy Road has gone strangely quiet. Perhaps Andrews and Allan have got sufficient new crash hats and train proof jackets.

Excavation seems to be taking quite a long time, but work is certainly progressing there. The deck on which the new station building will sit has been put down, but it still seems like there's a tonne of dirt to be removed, especially at the up end.

Glenroy Road has gone strangely quiet. Perhaps Andrews and Allan have got sufficient new crash hats and train proof jackets.

Excavation seems to be taking quite a long time, but work is certainly progressing there. The deck on which the new station building will sit has been put down, but it still seems like there's a tonne of dirt to be removed, especially at the up end.

New press release (just for YM's benefit?). Nearing 50% excavation mark apparently although the LXRP site suggests only just over 40% done.

Glenroy

Neil

Thanks Neil.
I like the 'nearing the finish line' quote with 40% of the work done mentioned elsewhere!

Lilydale update:

The last two L beams on the up side have been placed between the Highway and John St to compete that stretch and, since my last passing, they have replicated all of the work on the down side, so there are now two, complete, elevated lines between those two roads.
The retaining wall on the eastern side, south of John St, has had many concrete slabs placed to create a substantial part of that wall.

Neil

Things are moving along over here at Bell and Preston with piling ongoing around Preston station. Haven't been down to the Oakover road end to see if they've started much there yet but I think the piling is moving south from Preston toward Bell but at some point, they will have to revert to single track running to pile in the vicinity of the current track bend where it is to be realigned.

Not much appears to have changed at Lilydale. The most obvious thing is a third tower structure has appeared in the west car park. This one is about a quarter of the diameter of the other two so may be an extension to go on top of one of the other two as part of the 'clock tower'. The next most obvious is the retaining wall south of John St, on the eastern side appears to be close to completion.
Another module of the station was being placed as I went past.

Neil

Someone will know - how many level crossings have been eliminated as of today?

Someone will know - how many level crossings have been eliminated as of today?

46/75 level crossings. Not too bad over the period from 2015-2021.

46/75 level crossings. Not too bad over the period from 2015-2021.

Not too shabby at all; that's a good number.
Thanks for the info.

The final spans over John St are being placed today from what I could see. The outer two are definitely in place and the third seemed to be with one (the fourth?) being moved as I went past. More station modules are being placed and now RSJs are being dug in north of the LX, west of the existing brick equipment building, being the start of a retaining wall. The, former, covered way parallel to the line, at the bus bays, has gone with lots of work occurring in that spot although I couldn't say what they are doing there. John St is closed at the moment for the beam placement and the Highway is one lane from near Bunnings through to Cave Hill Rd, with traffic controllers stopping traffic constantly. It took three times as long to get through in both direction so avoid it if you are anywhere near Lilydale at the moment.

Neil

Caught an entertaining session on Openhouse Melbourne 2021 on the design of the new Carrum station.

Unfortunately I didn't take notes, but some points made were:

• Rail over was due to the impractability of getting back to ground level from a cutting for the Patterson river (as was widely realised).
• Island platform was selected to lower the visual intrusion of the structure (the lifts and verandahs would loom much higher on side platforms). Had the fortunate side effect of ensuring a great view for all passengers.
• Carefully modelled the effect of wind in such an exposed site based on observed weather records. An overall roof would have created a wind tunnel (and would have obscured the view). The seating and screens are carefully designed to provide shelter, particularly from westerly and southwesterly winds.
• The layout of the ground level station buildings was to provide a safe area for passengers - with the waiting area under the view of the ticket office and PSU pod. This was also for passengers in the evening waiting for connecting buses. Extensive area lighting was provided for the same reason.
• The two liftwells (the only accessible access to the platform) are electrically completely isolated with feeds from independent substations.
• There is a periscope in the northern liftwell to allow people a view over the bay.
• Design elements were intended to reflect the beach - sand coloured concrete with different surface patterns; the supports for the platform canopy reflects cord washed up on the beach. (They mentioned several times the manufacture of the supports.)
• The lift towers are intended to reflect the clock towers at the other beach side stations (Chelsea, Moorabbin, and??)
• Significant input into design elements at Patterson River and the Eel Race Rd subway from the indigenous community, with a representation of Bunjil at the Patterson River bridge, and eels at the subway.
• The council co-operated with the state government to provide a new beach access as part of the project. Design elements in the beach access repeat those of the station (e.g. the supports for the shelters).
• Very great attention was paid to prefabricating components off-site to minimise disruption to rail services during construction.
• The trough beams are not only an efficient structural design, but minimise the propogation of sound. The lowest metre of a carriage is the most critical as the wheelsets generate most of the noise. The trough sides shroud the wheels.

Lifts the only access to the platform?  I, and the vast majority of passengers, can go up the stairs at Mitcham quicker than the lift. It might take a long time for the platform to empty after an arrival.

Lifts the only access to the platform?  I, and the vast majority of passengers, can go up the stairs at Mitcham quicker than the lift. It might take a long time for the platform to empty after an arrival.

I think he means the lifts will be the only disabled/wheelchair access to the platforms.  I.E. no ramps.

I think he means the lifts will be the only disabled/wheelchair access to the platforms.  I.E. no ramps.

That's going to make it interesting when a lift fails.

I think he means the lifts will be the only disabled/wheelchair access to the platforms.  I.E. no ramps.

That's going to make it interesting when a lift fails.

Hence two lifts with separate power feeds, etc.  Because having two things fail at once is completely unheard of .

Lifts the only access to the platform?  I, and the vast majority of passengers, can go up the stairs at Mitcham quicker than the lift. It might take a long time for the platform to empty after an arrival.

I think he means the lifts will be the only disabled/wheelchair access to the platforms.  I.E. no ramps.

That makes more sense.

Things are ramping up in Preston in August with Crosshead and L beam installation to take place around Preston Station area.

https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/publications/works-notice-overnight-deliveries-at-preston-station-in-august

Having those four crossings eliminated will make a huge difference.