Victoria’s biggest ever level crossing removal construction blitz has finished two weeks ahead of schedule, with trains running on the new Upfield elevated rail line from today and vehicles no longer delayed by boom gates with four more dangerous and congested level crossings gone for good.
A thousand workers have worked around the clock since late July to get the project completed with strict health and safety measures in place.
Commuters can expect a less congested journey at level crossing-free Munro Street, Reynard Street and Moreland Road, with Bell Street to open this Wednesday, and a 2.5-kilometre elevated rail bridge spanning the four roads.
Getting rid of these four level crossings – including the notorious Bell Street crossing, used by around 41,000 drivers per day – will improve safety, reduce congestion, slash travel times and free up traffic on one of Melbourne’s busiest arterial roads.
The project is also building two new stations at Coburg and Moreland, which will open to passengers in mid-December. As work continues to complete the platforms, station buildings and customer facilities, Upfield line trains will run express through Coburg and Moreland with replacement buses and trams in place.
The new rail bridge is made up of 268 massive beams – known as L-beams – from manufacturers around Victoria. Each beam weighs around 110 tonnes and measures up to 32 metres in length.
Work will continue into next year to create more than two MCGs worth of community open space underneath the rail line, featuring around 3,000 trees and shrubs, along with thousands more seedlings and native grass.
In the north, work will soon be ramping up in Glenroy and Preston, where five more level crossings are being removed by the end of 2022, including at Bell Street in Preston – making Bell Street completely level crossing free.
