- Published:
- Wednesday 5 October 2022
Melton will soon be level crossing-free – with the Andrews Labor Government today announcing four more level crossings in Melbourne’s outer west will be gone for good, reducing congestion and paving the way for more train services to Melton than ever before.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Member for Melton Steve McGhie today visited Cobblebank Station – delivered by the Labor Government as part of the Ballarat Line Upgrade – to announce level crossings at Coburns Road, Exford Road and Ferris Road in Melton and Hopkins Road, Truganina will be removed by 2028.
Work will start next year to remove these dangerous and congested crossings – unclogging roads for more than 73,000 vehicles each day, with the boom gates currently down for up to 28 minutes of the morning peak while 16 trains pass through.
One of the fastest-growing communities in Australia, Melton will also see a brand-new modern and accessible station built, paving the way for future improvements to the line and increased train capacity along the rail corridor.
Coburns Road is a key connection from Melton to the Western Freeway – removing it will slash travel times and improve traffic in and out of Melton, while removing the Exford Road crossing will ease congestion around the town’s busy main street.
Ferris Road is a major arterial through the new suburb of Cobblebank – removing its level crossing will help commuters get to and from Cobblebank Station and the Western Freeway.
Closer to the city, getting rid of the level crossing at Hopkins Road, Truganina will ease congestion for the community and improve access for trucks travelling around the growing industrial centre.
Early assessments indicate the level crossings at Exford Road and Coburns Road will be removed by a rail trench, while Hopkins Road and Ferris Roads will be removed by elevating the road over the train tracks.
Final designs will be released after extensive consultation with the community and detailed site investigations.
These four level crossings will join two already removed along the Melton corridor at Fitzgerald Road in Ardeer and Robinsons Road in Deer Park, and a third removal currently underway at Mt Derrimut Road – delivering smoother connections and creating thousands of local jobs.
This work to deliver more services for Melton passengers follows the completion of the Ballarat Line Upgrade – which has delivered trains every 20 minutes during the peak, meaning an extra 140 weekly services through Melton, and new stations at Cobblebank and Rockbank.
Since 2015, the Labor Government has removed 67 level crossings, built 37 new and upgraded stations, created 50 kilometres of walking and cycling paths and unlocked 20 MCGs of open space to deliver massive improvements for communities across Melbourne.
For more information about the new level crossing removals and preferred design solutions, visit levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“We’ve already removed 67 dangerous and congested level crossings across Melbourne – but there’s more to do, and we’re getting on with making Melton completely crossing-free.”
“This project will build on our huge transport investments in Melbourne’s outer west – with more new stations, fewer level crossings and hundreds more services already running through Melton, this is the next step to deliver world-class public transport for our fastest-growing communities.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
“The Ballarat Line Upgrade delivered more than 140 extra services every week for the Melton community, and we’re not stopping there – four more level crossing removals and a new station will pave the way for more services, more often.”
“You can’t trust Matthew Guy’s Liberals to do anything but cut transport projects and cancel services – they’ve promised to ‘reprioritise’ level crossing removals, putting better connections through Melton at serious risk.”
Quote attributable to Member for Melton Steve McGhie
“Only Labor has a plan to deliver the roads and public transport connections our growing community needs – families in Melton will be thrilled to see the back of these congested crossings once and for all.”