Train travel for Mount Evelyn residents is soon going to be much smoother, as more level crossings are removed from the Lilydale line.
Two crossings, including Mont Albert Road in Mont Albert and Union Road in Surrey Hills, are set to be removed under the State governments boom-gate free by 2025 vision.
The crossing removals have been fast-tracked and will both be gone for good by next year.
By removing the level crossings, the government expects more frequent and reliable services for the more than 72,000 passengers who use the Belgrave and Lilydale lines each weekday – the second busiest on Melbourne’s network.
“Works will get underway to ensure two more of Melbourne’s most notorious level crossings on the Lilydale line are gone for good – including at Union Road in Surrey Hills – which was tragically the site of two fatalities in 2016,” Transport Infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan.
“The Lilydale Line will be boom-gate free by 2025 – improving travel times and creating safer journeys for locals in the area – by never being stuck at the level crossings again.”
Construction will soon begin to remove the level crossings, while crews will also start to move and upgrade signalling, power and communication lines along the rail corridor to pave the way for the new 1.3-kilometre-long rail trench to be built between Mont Albert and Surrey Hills.
Buses will replace trains between Lilydale and Ringwood stations from Monday 14 February to Wednesday 16 February, as works progress throughout the area.
There will also be replacement bus services between Camberwell and Box Hill stations from Friday 25 March to Friday 1 April, and between Camberwell and Ringwood from 8:30pm Friday 1 April to Sunday 3 April.
More than 52,000 trees, plants and shrubs will also be planted as part of the project, while new paths and cycling links will also be developed through Lorne Parade Reserve.
The Lilydale Line will be level crossing free by 2025, paving the way for more services more often for commuters in Melbourne’s outer east. The Labor Government is getting rid of 85 level crossings across Melbourne by 2025, with 56 already gone for good.
More information about the project can be found online at levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.
