The Victorian Government has fast-tracked the removal of 2 of Melbourne’s most dangerous level crossings in Surrey Hills and Mont Albert.

The dangerous and congested level crossings at Union Road in Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road in Mont Albert have recorded at least 8 near miss incidents since 2005, with the crossing at Surrey Hills the scene of a tragic incident in 2016.

With 22,000 vehicles travelling through the crossings every day, and boom gates down for up to 40% of the morning peak, removing these crossings will improve traffic flow and make the area safer for commuters and the community.

Understanding the designs

Following 18 months of technical and engineering assessments, we identified challenges to building 2 new stations and found that a single station design is the best way to meet modern rail safety and accessibility standards.

The existing stations are located on curved sections of track which obscure sightlines for train drivers and create a dangerous gap between the carriages and platforms. Rebuilding 2 stations on curved sections of track would be a breach of rail safety standards and cannot be considered.

The new station platforms will be located less than 150m from the current Surrey Hills Station and less than 400m from the current Mont Albert Station. There will be entrances at both ends of the station platforms.

The new premium station delivers greater benefits and will mean more frequent services for passengers currently using Surrey Hills and Mont Albert stations.

With roads, businesses and homes so close to the rail line, building 2 new stations would mean:

• compulsory acquisition of homes in Mont Albert and the Coles supermarket in Surrey Hills
• permanent closure of local streets
• more excavation, and more trucks on local roads for months
• enormous stairs at Mont Albert Station, with a daunting 12m climb from the platforms to ground level – equivalent to climbing the stairs in a 4-storey building.

This brochure details why a rail trench and one new premium station is the best solution for Surrey Hills and Mont Albert and explains why other solutions have been ruled out.

If you require assistance in accessing or understanding this report, please contact us by emailing contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au or call 1800 105 105.