The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with removing three dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne’s outer east, with major construction now underway in Croydon, Ringwood and Ringwood East.
Piling rigs have arrived on site to lay concrete foundations for the next stage of construction, with the Coolstore Road crossing in Croydon, Dublin Road crossing in Ringwood East and Bedford Road crossing in Ringwood to be a thing of the past by 2025.
Croydon’s brand-new transport hub will see new road connections and a new rail bridge replace the Coolstore Road level crossing, and a new elevated station linking to a streamlined bus interchange.
The 105-tonne piling rig at Croydon Station will dig 28 holes up to 35 metres deep – equivalent to a 10-storey building – to be filled with more than 1,000 cubic metres of concrete that will support the rail bridge.
At Dublin Road, two piling rigs have started digging the 575 holes needed to support the walls of the 650-metre-long rail trench and a new Ringwood East Station.
Piling works will begin early next year at Bedford Road, in preparation for the rail line to be lowered into a 380-metre-long trench, and a new walking and cycling path will be built to connect the Heathmont Rail Trail to Bedford Park, alongside the Belgrave line.
A construction blitz across all three level crossing sites in August will see crews work around the clock to upgrade critical signalling systems and dig foundations.
Removing the Coolstore Road, Dublin Road and Bedford Road level crossings will ease congestion for the 34,000 vehicles that travel through them each day.
The Lilydale Line will be level crossing free by 2025, while the Belgrave Line will be level crossing free between Ferntree Gully and the city – changing the way people live, work and travel.
As stated by Premier Daniel Andrews
“We’ve already removed 70 of these congested death traps, now we’re starting construction to build two new stations and remove three more dangerous level crossings at Croydon and Ringwood – bringing the Lilydale Line one step closer to being level-crossing free by 2025.”
As stated by Acting Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Ben Carroll
“These projects will allow people in the east to get home safer and sooner, while creating thousands of jobs during construction.”
As stated by Member for North-Eastern Metropolitan Region Sonja Terpstra
“Getting rid of these level crossings will ease congestion and make it safer for people to move around, transforming the way our communities travel.”
