State Government media release Friday, 12 December, 2014

LEVEL CROSSINGS ARE LABOR'S PRIORITY

Will be interesting to see how these get done - some will probably need adjacent stations completely demolished and rebuilt below ground level.  Many station precincts will change significantly as a result.

In clockwise order around Melbourne by line and in towards town...


CLIFTON HILL GROUP (4)

SOUTH MORANG LINE (2)
- High St RESERVOIR
- Bell St PRESTON

HURSTBRIDGE LINE (2)
- Lower Plenty Rd ROSANNA
- Grange Rd ALPHINGTON


BURNLEY GROUP (8)

LILYDALE LINE (2)
- Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE
- Manchester Rd MOOROOLBARK

BELGRAVE LINE (2)
- Scoresby Rd BAYSWATER
- Mountain Hwy BAYSWATER

RINGWOOD LINE (2)
- Heatherdale Rd MITCHAM
- Blackburn Rd BLACKBURN

ALAMEIN LINE (0)

GLEN WAVERLEY LINE (2)
- Burke Rd GLEN IRIS
- Toorak Rd KOOYONG


CAULFIELD GROUP (25)

PAKENHAM LINE (3)
- Clyde Rd BERWICK
- Hallam Rd HALLAM
- South Gippsland Hwy DANDENONG

CRANBOURNE LINE (2)
- Thompsons Rd LYNDHURST
- Abbotts Rd DANDENONG SOUTH

DANDENONG LINE (9)
- Chandler Rd NOBLE PARK
- Heatherton Rd NOBLE PARK
- Corrigan Rd NOBLE PARK
- Centre Rd CLAYTON
- Clayton Rd CLAYTON
- Poath Rd HUGHESDALE
- Murrumbeena Rd MURRUMBEENA
- Koornang Rd CARNEGIE
- Grange Rd CARNEGIE

FRANKSTON LINE (11)
- Skye/Overton Rd FRANKSTON
- Seaford Rd SEAFORD
- Eel Race Rd SEAFORD
- Station St CARRUM
- Station St BONBEACH
- Edithvale Rd EDITHVALE
- Balcombe Rd MENTONE
- Charman Rd CHELTENHAM
- Centre Rd BENTLEIGH
- McKinnon Rd MCKINNON
- North Rd ORMOND

SANDRINGHAM LINE (0)


NORTHERN GROUP (13)

WILLIAMSTOWN LINE (1)
- Ferguson St WILLIAMSTOWN

ALTONA LINE (1)
- Kororoit Creek Rd W’TOWN NORTH

WERRIBEE LINE (3)
- Werribee St WERRIBEE
- Cherry St WERRIBEE
- Aviation Rd LAVERTON

SUNBURY LINE (3)
- Melton Hwy SYDENHAM
- Main Road East/West ST ALBANS
- Furlong Rd ST ALBANS

CRAIGIEBURN LINE (2)
- Glenroy Rd GLENROY
- Buckley St ESSENDON

FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE LINE (0)

UPFIELD LINE (3)
- Camp Rd CAMPBELLFIELD
- Bell St COBURG
- Moreland Rd BRUNSWICK

Obviously not all of these can be completed, or even started,  within the four year term - so it would be interesting to know how they will be prioritised, and if prioritisation will be based on real necessity or political necessity.

I believe that they're all meant to be completed within eight years.

There's a bit more information about the six crossings the Liberals were planning on removing here -
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/planning-and-projects/melbourne-road-projects?active=loc&type=Level%20crossing

Contracts for four of then are meant to be awarded early next year.
Trains should be running on the new tracks in St Albans in January 2016, and a year later in Blackburn and Ormond.

All 50 crossings are listed  alphabetically in the link provided by retromelb.
There's a possibility that up to 32 stations will have to be rebuilt when the crossings are removed.

Will Werribee station be rebuilt considering how close it is to the crossing?

I really hope because it's one unsightly looking train station

I think so. Looks too close for trains to climb. Unless of course they decide to adjust the road...

Odd with the RFR the priority of grade separating Werribee St goes down, however I'm surprised Hoppers Crossing isn't on the list as that's a chokepoint during peakhour plus there's the hospital not that far away.

Will Werribee station be rebuilt considering how close it is to the crossing?

I really hope because it's one unsightly looking train station

New grade separated roads will probably bypass the existing level crossings.

Railway and station stays as It Is today.

Odd with the RFR the priority of grade separating Werribee St goes down, however I'm surprised Hoppers Crossing isn't on the list as that's a chokepoint during peakhour plus there's the hospital not that far away.

Werribee Street won't need to be grade separated until suburban trains get extended to Wyndham Vale, when ever that happens !

Where there is space to move the road as there is in Werribee, that would be the preferred option, It's cheaper, causes less disruption and can usually be completed quicker. Also, with crossings around Werribee, consider the extra costs included with any adjustments to the ARTC's Western Standard Guage Line.

I'm also surprised the Werribee St crossing is included. After RRL is complete their won't be too many trains using it, a few freight trains each day, and empty cars transfer to/ form Newport, that's about it.

State Government media release Friday, 12 December, 2014

LEVEL CROSSINGS ARE LABOR'S PRIORITY

Will be interesting to see how these get done - some will probably need adjacent stations completely demolished and rebuilt below ground level. Many station precincts will change significantly as a result.

In clockwise order around Melbourne by line and in towards town...


CLIFTON HILL GROUP (4)

SOUTH MORANG LINE (2)
- High St RESERVOIR
- Bell St PRESTON

HURSTBRIDGE LINE (2)
- Lower Plenty Rd ROSANNA
- Grange Rd ALPHINGTON


BURNLEY GROUP (8)

LILYDALE LINE (2)
- Maroondah Hwy LILYDALE
- Manchester Rd MOOROOLBARK

BELGRAVE LINE (2)
- Scoresby Rd BAYSWATER
- Mountain Hwy BAYSWATER

RINGWOOD LINE (2)
- Heatherdale Rd MITCHAM
- Blackburn Rd BLACKBURN

ALAMEIN LINE (0)

GLEN WAVERLEY LINE (2)
- Burke Rd GLEN IRIS
- Toorak Rd KOOYONG


CAULFIELD GROUP (25)

PAKENHAM LINE (3)
- Clyde Rd BERWICK
- Hallam Rd HALLAM
- South Gippsland Hwy DANDENONG

CRANBOURNE LINE (2)
- Thompsons Rd LYNDHURST
- Abbotts Rd DANDENONG SOUTH

DANDENONG LINE (9)
- Chandler Rd NOBLE PARK
- Heatherton Rd NOBLE PARK
- Corrigan Rd NOBLE PARK
- Centre Rd CLAYTON
- Clayton Rd CLAYTON
- Poath Rd HUGHESDALE
- Murrumbeena Rd MURRUMBEENA
- Koornang Rd CARNEGIE
- Grange Rd CARNEGIE

FRANKSTON LINE (11)
- Skye/Overton Rd FRANKSTON
- Seaford Rd SEAFORD
- Eel Race Rd SEAFORD
- Station St CARRUM
- Station St BONBEACH
- Edithvale Rd EDITHVALE
- Balcombe Rd MENTONE
- Charman Rd CHELTENHAM
- Centre Rd BENTLEIGH
- McKinnon Rd MCKINNON
- North Rd ORMOND

SANDRINGHAM LINE (0)


NORTHERN GROUP (13)

WILLIAMSTOWN LINE (1)
- Ferguson St WILLIAMSTOWN

ALTONA LINE (1)
- Kororoit Creek Rd W’TOWN NORTH

WERRIBEE LINE (3)
- Werribee St WERRIBEE
- Cherry St WERRIBEE
- Aviation Rd LAVERTON

SUNBURY LINE (3)
- Melton Hwy SYDENHAM
- Main Road East/West ST ALBANS
- Furlong Rd ST ALBANS

CRAIGIEBURN LINE (2)
- Glenroy Rd GLENROY
- Buckley St ESSENDON

FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE LINE (0)

UPFIELD LINE (3)
- Camp Rd CAMPBELLFIELD
- Bell St COBURG
- Moreland Rd BRUNSWICK

A waste of time grade separating the lx at the Down end of Werribee near the Racecourse Hotel as once RRL opens it will be lucky to see  20  trains a day .  Surprising  the crossing at Hoppers Crossing station is not on the list given its accident history and heavy road and rail tarffic  .

I wonder how they'll do Charman Road Cheltenham without doing Park Road too.
I don't think there's enough room to lower or raise the road.

Perhaps it would be better to do Warrigal Road Mentone and Robinsons Road Deer Park than some of the crossings which have been announced.

The Government would probably like to pluck off a lot of outer suburban level crossings like

Thompsons Rd LYNDHURST
Abbotts Rd DANDENONG SOUTH

That would be rather cheap and easy to construct and get their tally up quickly for good public relations.

It would not be surprising If new easier / cheaper grade separations appeared on the list so the really hard / expensive could be put to the side (to hard basket)

I wonder how they'll do Charman Road Cheltenham without doing Park Road too.
I don't think there's enough room to lower or raise the road.

Perhaps it would be better to do Warrigal Road Mentone and Robinsons Road Deer Park than some of the crossings which have been announced.

Given the frequency of trains at Robinsons Road, I don't think would need to be done at least until Melton is wired. Glenhuntly Rd, Caulfield South would be a better option given the train frequency there, combined with the potential need to avoid delaying trams.

Given the frequency of trains at Robinsons Road, I don't think would need to be done at least until Melton is wired. Glenhuntly Rd, Caulfield South would be a better option given the train frequency there, combined with the potential need to avoid delaying trams.

Though Glenhuntly Road crossing would cost significantly more than Robinsons Road crossing !

Though Glenhuntly Road crossing would cost significantly more than Robinsons Road crossing !

A long time ago the Neerim Road LC at Glenhuntly came to the top of the list, but because of what was reported as a high water table, the only way the grade separation could work was by raising the railway. The locals objected, and it never went ahead. I wonder whether that might be why neither Neerim nor Glenhuntly Roads are on the list.

A long time ago the Neerim Road LC at Glenhuntly came to the top of the list, but because of what was reported as a high water table, the only way the grade separation could work was by raising the railway. The locals objected, and it never went ahead. I wonder whether that might be why neither Neerim nor Glenhuntly Roads are on the list.

If the Dandy line gets sunk between Caulfield and Oakleigh, to fill could go to the Franga line to rise parts of the line between Caulfield and Moorabbin.

Personally I believe Blackburn Rd Blackburn should be a priority but is left of this RACV list

The previous government already funded construction for this level crossing, as well as Main Road (St Albans), North Road (Ormond) and Burke Road (Glen Iris). If all goes well that crossing should be gone by 2017.

As for Thompsons Road in Lyndhurst, that crossing will have to be done fairly soon as Labor also promised during the election campaign to duplicate that road. Thus it is likely that both works will be done together.

As an (almost) local, I'm wondering what will happen at Lilydale, but I'm thinking the existing rail would have to be left at its present level, otherwise you could require not only a new station but also possibly a new stabling yard.  Lowering the rail would also add to the climb out towards Cave Hill.  That being so, it would have to be either road over existing rail (unlikely), or road under, which would work.  It would cause disruption to local businesses and traffic, but John Street (which already has a rail over road bridge) could be used as a detour while the work was being done.  Another option would be to re-route the highway via John Street, but it is just a local street and would require extensive upgrading - probably outside the scope of removing a level crossing.

Whatever is done would also have to allow for the eventual second track from Mooroolbark.

There have been rumblings in the past of moving Lilydale Railway Station to the other side of Maroondah Highway in order to essentially eliminate the level crossing during peak hour. What you'd end up with is an elevated station between John St and Maroondah Highway, with a pedestrian overbridge between the existing bus station/parking/taxi rank area.

The other option of course is to put rail over Maroondah Highway, build a new elevated station in the Lilydale yards, move stabling over to a large maintenance & stabling facility at Coldstream and either put rail over Beresford Rd, reopen the level crossing for stabling movements or close off Beresford road at the crossing.

In any case, it's at least as complicated (and expensive) as the Mountain Highway/Scoresby Rd grade separation, which was so difficult that VicRoads appear to have thrown in the towel.

It doesn't seem that crossings with trams are a priority at all, because only the Burke Rd, Gardiner crossing is on the list.   As already mentioned, Glenhuntly Rd isn't on the list (nor does the RACV mention it).   If tram crossings were to get some sort of priority, then (as well as Glenhuntly Rd) Glenferrie Rd, Kooyong would be mentioned along with Riversdale Rd.   Sure, these crossings might not be on the list if they didn't have trams (especially not Riversdale Rd), but their omission does seem to show that the impact of crossings on trams hasn't been a big factor.

The Vicroad website's updated. Y'know those planned level crossing removals they had, well three are gone from that list. Ormond is the only one left. I think the RACV left Blackburn Rd, Blackburn off their list as they were probably of the impression it was closer to being started.

There have been rumblings in the past of moving Lilydale Railway Station to the other side of Maroondah Highway in order to essentially eliminate the level crossing during peak hour. What you'd end up with is an elevated station between John St and Maroondah Highway, with a pedestrian overbridge between the existing bus station/parking/taxi rank area.

The other option of course is to put rail over Maroondah Highway, build a new elevated station in the Lilydale yards, move stabling over to a large maintenance & stabling facility at Coldstream and either put rail over Beresford Rd, reopen the level crossing for stabling movements or close off Beresford road at the crossing.

In any case, it's at least as complicated (and expensive) as the Mountain Highway/Scoresby Rd grade separation, which was so difficult that VicRoads appear to have thrown in the towel.

Well seemingly, the rail maintenance yard at Bayswater hasn't been considered in this, or perhaps glossed over.

It's all well and good to say lets just drop Bayswater station and road crossings at Mountain Highway/Scoresby Rd, but unless you relocate the maintenance facility to elsewhere (and where to I ask) then you haven't entirely eliminated the need for a crossing to get into there at Mountain Hwy, have you???.

Regards

There have been rumblings in the past of moving Lilydale Railway Station to the other side of Maroondah Highway in order to essentially eliminate the level crossing during peak hour. What you'd end up with is an elevated station between John St and Maroondah Highway, with a pedestrian overbridge between the existing bus station/parking/taxi rank area.

The other option of course is to put rail over Maroondah Highway, build a new elevated station in the Lilydale yards, move stabling over to a large maintenance & stabling facility at Coldstream and either put rail over Beresford Rd, reopen the level crossing for stabling movements or close off Beresford road at the crossing.

In any case, it's at least as complicated (and expensive) as the Mountain Highway/Scoresby Rd grade separation, which was so difficult that VicRoads appear to have thrown in the towel.

The reservation between John Street and the highway is fairly narrow. There were once two tracks there, of course, but would it be wide enough for two tracks plus platforms? (I guess it could be expanded on the west side, at least.) But it puts the car parking a long way from the station, especially if you arrive late and have to park way down the far end - a long walk, plus the overbridge. And it would be more usual to at least put the taxis near the station, for the benefit or elderly or disabled people. Finally, there is the assumption of no movements to or from the stabling area during peak hours, but that's not always the case.

The Colstream option is a good one, as it would leave the car parking, bus bays and taxis nearer the station, and the existing stabling area could be used for more car parking (sorely needed - the car park gets full). But I had heard that although a maintenance etc. facility at Coldstream was under consideration, it would not happen, if at all, until after the Mooroolbark duplication was completed. Removal of the Maroondah Highway crossing, in whatever form it takes, could/should be done without waiting for the duplication.

Having a maintenance facility at Coldstream also raises questions about extending the passenger service as well, but that's not for here.

As an (almost) local, I'm wondering what will happen at Lilydale, but I'm thinking the existing rail would have to be left at its present level, otherwise you could require not only a new station but also possibly a new stabling yard. Lowering the rail would also add to the climb out towards Cave Hill. That being so, it would have to be either road over existing rail (unlikely), or road under, which would work. It would cause disruption to local businesses and traffic, but John Street (which already has a rail over road bridge) could be used as a detour while the work was being done. Another option would be to re-route the highway via John Street, but it is just a local street and would require extensive upgrading - probably outside the scope of removing a level crossing.

Whatever is done would also have to allow for the eventual second track from Mooroolbark.

Yep re route the Highway In the form of a Lilydale bypass and close the level crossing, done !