Caulfield to Dandenong

Removing level crossings for all Victorians

Removing 50 dangerous and congested level crossings will transform the way people live, work and travel across metropolitan Melbourne. It will improve safety for drivers and pedestrians and foster stronger, safer and more productive local communities.

All 50 level crossings will be removed by 2022, with at least 20 level crossings to be completed by 2018.

Construction is underway at several sites, while planning and early consultation has started across Melbourne on the delivery of the full program of 50 level crossing removals.

Project overview

The Cranbourne Pakenham train line is Melbourne's busiest and is crossed by some of our most congested roads, with boom gates down for up to 82 minutes during the morning peak.

The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project will remove 9 of these level crossings, reducing road congestion, reconnecting communities and creating capacity to run more trains in and out of the city.

The $1.6 billion project will involve:

• building 3 sections of elevated rail to raise the rail line over existing level crossings at Grange, Koornang, Murrumbeena and Poath roads between Caulfield and Hughesdale, Clayton and Centre roads in Clayton, and Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler roads in Noble Park
• rebuilding 5 train stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park
• extending 30 station platforms along the line to cater for 65 longer, High Capacity Metro Trains. These trains will afford a 42% capacity increase, equivalent to an extra 20,000 passengers a day when introduced in 2018
• upgrading rail systems, power and signalling on the line from Southern Cross to Cranbourne and Pakenham
• building 12km of shared bicycle and walking paths to link Caulfield through to the EastLink trail
• building 11 MCGs of new parkland and community open space beneath the elevated rail to connect and enhance local communities.

Timeline

Mid 2016

• Piling for support piers commences

Late 2016

• Cranes operational in Clayton and Noble Park

Early 2017

• Gantry cranes operational at Murrumbeena

Mid 2017

• Support pier erection commences

2018

• All level crossings removed and rail operational

Late 2018

• Parkland, bicycle and pedestrian path complete

Melbourne's newest parkland

We're building Melbourne's newest parkland, stretching across six linear kilometres of the south eastern suburbs.

Once the trains are running on the elevated rail line we'll tear up the old tracks and build the parkland underneath the operating rail line.

As well as over 4250 new trees and shrubs, the parkland includes seven local activation spaces selected by the community, including exercise equipment hubs, children's playgrounds and dog-friendly spaces.

Along the length of the parkland, a 12km shared walking and cycling path will link with existing trails to create a 17km trail link between Caulfield and the EastLink Trail in Dandenong.

A Community Open Space Expert Panel (COSEP) comprised of representatives from local communities and councils from across the project corridor, and agencies including Victoria Police and Bicycle Network Victoria are currently providing advice on plans for the new parkland.

Work on the parkland is expected to start in late 2017 and be completed by late 2018.

Ongoing maintenance of the parkland is fully funded for the next decade by a $15 million State Government trust dedicated to maintaining the project's public open spaces.

Benefits in the build

The innovative way level crossings are being removed between Caulfield and Dandenong provides huge time-saving benefits to locals and the travelling public across south-eastern Victoria.

Trains keep running

Avoiding the lengthy closures of other construction methods

Trains continue to run safely while building occurs to the side of the existing tracks.

Roads keep flowing

No long major road closures …

• 3-day closures of major roads replace the three-month closures usual on other level crossing removal methods
• across the project life, each level crossing road will be fully closed only twice – once when bridge parts are lifted directly above the road, and when the old rail lines are removed and the road resurfaced
• the project team will remove 9 level crossings while closing only one major arterial road at a time in each of the Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Clayton or Noble Park areas
• all other major roads in these areas will stay open.

2000 local jobs

Creating 2000+ Victorian jobs

Casting concrete segments locally and trucking them to sites supports local manufacturing and transport jobs. Casting the concrete offsite reduces disruption for local residents living near work sites.

Getting it done … faster and better

World-class design built safely, built well, and built in record time.

Construction happens in multiple work areas at once. Many cranes work across the whole corridor and can move rapidly across different work sites, providing agility to meet construction deadlines.

Stakeholder liaison group

A Stakeholder Liaison Group (SLG) for the project will provide a key avenue for community involvement during project construction.

Comprising community members, local traders, council and advocacy groups and coordinated by the project team, the Stakeholder Liaison Group will play an advisory role to ensure all individuals and groups affected by the project have an adequate opportunity to learn about and offer feedback on construction activities.

The SLG will convene regularly for discussions around upcoming construction activities and will provide the project with feedback which will input directly into construction planning.

Regular updates

We'll continue to update residents on our construction activities via letter box drops, phone calls and emails, the project website, posters and information at stations, and print and radio advertisements.

Keeping you informed

We'recommitted to providing regular information on the project to the community, and incorporating feedback into our work where practical.

For more information call the Project Community Contact Line on 1800 105 105 or sign up for project updates.

Construction from Caulfield to Hughesdale

Removing level crossings at Grange, Koornang, Murrumbeena and Poath roads

Work will involve:

• elevating the rail line which will ascend west of Grange Road and lower east of Poath Road
• new, upgraded stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale. Elevated centre island station platforms will be accessed via lifts, stairs and escalators
• village plazas underneath the elevated rail that will link the stations with surrounding shopping precincts
• intermodal transport hubs with connections to buses, taxis and 'kiss-and-rides' at Murrumbeena and Carnegie Stations. New formal car parking at Hughesdale Station
• new community open spaces developed in partnership with local residents, traders and council
• a shared bicycle and pedestrian path linking Caulfield to the East Link trail, and improving access to the Rosstown Reserve and Outer Circle Rail Trails
• opportunities to plant new, mature trees
• identifying opportunities to preserve key elements of existing station architecture and use them in the new station design.

From Caulfield to Hughesdale, the project team is removing the level crossings by elevating the rail line over Grange, Koornang, Murrumbeena and Poath Roads, and rebuilding Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale Stations.

Innovative construction methodology

Lift:

Concrete segments arrive on trucks and are lifted off onto the ground by the gantry cranes. Segments are stressed together into concrete spans of up to 40 metres. These will form the elevated rail deck. The gantry cranes lift the new span up onto the elevated structure.

Shift:

The straddle carrier lifts the span and carries it along the elevated rail deck to where the new span will be placed.

Place:

A launching beam slides out of the way, leaving the straddle carrier to place the span onto its support piers.

Each span is later pinned to the support piers with steel.

Repeat:

The launching beam moves back into place allowing the straddle carrier to drive back along the elevated deck to the Murrumbeena Assembly Area to pick up the next concrete span. The launching beam is tied into position ready for the next span to arrive.

Questions and answers

Will the elevated rail be built in stages, or all at once?

Multiple crews will work concurrently along the length of the Caulfield to Dandenong rail corridor. At the same time, work to update rail signalling and power will occur on the whole line between Southern Cross Station and Pakenham and Cranbourne.

What type of activities can people expect to see?

Work sheds, fencing, cranes, delivery trucks, equipment and construction workers in and around sites will be a feature along the project corridor until late 2018.

Will the works be noisy? What will you do to help local residents and traders manage noise?

Measures will be put in place to minimise impacts to the local community, including programming noisy works to occur during the day and using localised, noise dampening measures.

Where noisy night works are unavoidable, temporary accommodation options, respite or impact-reducing measures will be considered for residents. Any unavoidable works occurring at night are scheduled for safety reasons and to minimise disruption to the train network.

What are you doing to help local shops continue to trade successfully near the level crossing removal work?

The project team is to assisting businesses to operate successfully throughout construction via a campaign to encourage people to keep shopping locally. Additionally, traders will be able to access mentoring from the Small Business Mentoring Service to help to address any impacts to their businesses during the work.

Caulfield to Hughesdale fast facts

• 3.2km of elevated rail featuring 6km of new track.
• 174 concrete spans on 163 support piers.

Murrumbeena assembly area

Specialist cranes and equipment will be deployed from Murrumbeen a Station to assemble and lift locally-made concrete spans to build the elevated rail between Caulfield and Hughesdale.

Construction in Clayton and Noble Park

Removing level crossings at Clayton and Centre Roads, Clayton

Work will involve:

• elevating the rail line which will ascend west of Clayton Station and lower east of Centre Road
• a new, modern Clayton Station. Elevated centre island station platforms will be accessed via lifts, stairs and escalators
• a new north-south road linking Carinish and Haughton Roads to provide an integrated bus interchange that will make transferring between bus and train easier for all commuters
• new community open spaces developed in partnership with local residents, traders and council
• a new village plaza and station forecourt at Clayton Station
• new green open space under the rail line
• preserving the heritage-listed Waiting Room building at Clayton Station in the new station precinct
• working with Clayton Returned Services League (RSL) to build a new Avenue of Honour memorial commemorating the legacy of local servicemen and women and providing a multi-use community space.

Removing level crossings at Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Roads, Noble Park

Work will involve:

• elevating the rail line which will ascend west of Corrigan Road, over Heatherton Road, and lower east of Noble Park Station. The train will travel at ground level for around 200 metres before ascending again west of Mile Creek and lowering east of Chandler Road and west of Yarraman Station
• a new premium station at Noble Park, located closer to Heatherton Road, to link with the Douglas Street activity centre and Ross Reserve. Elevated station platforms will be accessed via lifts, stairs and escalators
• a new, two-way road from Ian Street/Mons Parade to Leonard Avenue creating better north-south connections for pedestrians, cyclists and road users
• a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists, connecting Noble Park to Carnegie and the East Link trail
• new community spaces developed in partnership with local residents, traders and council.

In Noble Park, the project team is removing the level crossings by elevating the rail line over Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Roads, and rebuilding Noble Park Station.

In Clayton, the project team is removing the level crossings by elevating the rail line over Clayton and Centre Roads, and rebuilding Clayton Station.

Placing the pieces

In Clayton and Noble Park, traditional bridge construction methods will be used to construct the twin elevated rail structures between Clayton and Centre Roads, and Chandler, Heatherton and Corrigan Roads. In these areas, pre-cast concrete structures including 'Super T' beams found in many bridges across Australia will be used to build the elevated rail. A wider rail corridor in these areas provides easy access for cranes to place beams using this tried and trusted methodology.

1. Truck:

Locally cast concrete beams are trucked to site. Smaller beams will be moved during the day and large beams moved overnight when traffic volumes are lower.

2. Lift:

Two cranes will lift the concrete beams into place.

3. Place:

On average,seven Super T beams will be placed in the Clayton and Noble Park areas each day.

Questions and answers

Are you closing Clayton and Centre Roads at the same time?

No. The elevated rail design minimises the amount of road closures.

Are you closing Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler roads at the same time?

No. The elevated rail design minimises the amount of road closures.

When will the new parkland be complete?

The entire project will be complete by the end of 2018.

When will the train services switch onto the new elevated rail in Clayton and in Noble Park?

In Clayton and Noble Park, trains will start running on the twin elevated structures in 2018.

Are you closing Clayton or Noble Park Stations during construction?

For the most part, both Clayton and Noble Park Stations will remain open during construction. Temporary station facilities will be in place and train services will continue to run when existing station buildings are removed and the new stations rebuilt.

Clayton fast facts

• 1.4km of elevated rail featuring 2.3km of new track.
• 202 'Super T' concrete beams and 29 concrete spans on 98 support piers.

Noble park fast fact

• Almost 1.5km of elevated rail featuring three kilometres of new track, 201 'Super T' concrete beams on 91 support piers.
• separate elevated rail sections to protect Mile Creek.

What to expect

Local roads

To gain access to site to build the elevated rail, the following local roads will be impacted:

Lorne Street, Caulfield East; Girdwood Avenue, Cosy Gum Road, Dandenong Road (service road), Egan Street, Woorayl, Morton and Tranmere Avenues, Carnegie; Beena Avenue, Emily Street, Merric Lane, Neerim Road and Railway Parade, Murrumbeena; Railway Parade, Willesden Road and Arthur Street, Hughesdale.

Some formal on-street parking will be closed near construction access points. From time-to-time between mid-2016 and mid-2018 short term single lane closures will be required:

Carinish and Haughton Roads, Rayhur Street; Clayton and Mons Parade, Lightwood Road, Memorial Avenue, Douglas Street, Hanna Street; Noble Park.

Some formal on-street parking will be closed near construction access points. From time-to-time between mid-2016 and mid- 2018 short term single lane closures will be required.

On all local roads:

• Traffic management will be in place and access for local residents will be maintained at all times. Access to these roads will be reinstated once works are complete.
• The project team will work with local traders to maintain customer parking during work where practical.
• Each major level crossing road will be closed only twice – once when bridge parts are lifted directly above the road, and finally when the old rail lines are removed and the road resurfaced.

Public transport

Service Disruptions and Station Changes

To remove the level crossings, construct elevated rail and build new stations, there will be changes to train and bus services, and access at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park stations.

Signs will be in place to safely guide rail customers and pedestrians around stations during construction.

Car parking changes

We'll provide offset parking for all station car parks that are closed during construction. Disability Permit parking will be retained and relocated within the vicinity of stations.

Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale Stations

Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale Station car parks will be temporarily closed until mid 2018.

To offset the temporary removal of car spaces during construction, East Malvern Station, Holmesglen and Glenhuntly Station car parks will be extended to provide an additional 428 car parks.

Clayton and Noble Park Stations

The Carinish Road car park (Platform 2) at Clayton Station will be temporarily closed until mid 2018. The Haughton Road car park (Platform 1) will remain open and some additional parking will be provided in a temporary car park that will be built adjacent to the existing car park. The Noble Park Station car park at Mons Parade will temporarily close.

To offset the loss of car spaces at Clayton and Noble Park stations, Sandown Park Station carparks have been extended to provide an additional 166 car spaces, and an additional 238 car spaces will be available from September 2016 at Clayton.

Public Transport Victoria

For journey planning, service and disruption information visit ptv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 800 007.

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