Major works to remove the Grange, Koornang, Murrumbeena and Poath Road Level Crossings and re-build Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale stations are underway!

These crossings are among Victoria's worst, with boom gates down for more than 55 minutes in the morning peak.

Major milestone reached

A major construction milestone has been reached, with the first 8 horizontal spans installed on top of piers. These spans were installed by the 2 gantry cranes at Murrumbeena Station and form the first section of the elevated rail.

Achieving this milestone allows us to commence the next stage of construction - operation of the straddle carrier. The carrier will travel back and forth along the elevated structure between Caulfield and Hughesdale, installing more spans.

The carrier weighs approximately 230 tonnes and will move along the rail corridor at 2.5 kilometres an hour when carrying a span. Testing of the carrier will commence in the coming months.

For more information on this innovative construction method, which allows work to be done while trains are running, read our fact sheet.

Safety is our top priority

Nothing is more important than the safety of our workers and the communities in which we are working.

The gantry cranes and the carrier feature many inbuilt safety features.

We have also recently installed a protective deck and a steel screen, which forms a safety barrier between the overhead works and the existing rail line.

Getting on with the job

The foundations for the elevated structure are continuing to take shape with more than 60 per cent of piers installed and 95 per cent of piling (ground strengthening) complete. These enabling works are critical for the removal of the dangerous and congested level crossings.

Mythbuster

Myth: There won’t be any room left for parkland around station car parking.

Truth: We will be able to deliver around 500 new parking spaces at key locations along the corridor without substantially impacting the linear parkland created by the project.

Future focus

The project will deliver significant benefits to Melburnians – improving safety, reducing road congestion and creating 22.5 hectares of new community space.

We are also helping build a skilled workforce for the future. In partnership with the Chisholm Institute, we have established a new training centre (New Employment Exchange and Training), which is providing tailored training for apprentices and entry-level workers.

Disruptions

We are working hard to minimise disruptions, with trains running the majority of the time. However, there will be some disruptions as we deliver this significant project:

• Buses will replace trains between Caulfield and Dandenong from 12.30am Saturday 22 July until the last service on Sunday 23 July 2017. Train services will resume on Monday 24 July 2017.
• Murrumbeena Station is closed from 17 June for up to 11 weeks. Trains are running express though Murrumbeena Station during this period. Replacement bus services for Murrumbeena Station users are in operation.