The Victorian Government has committed to removing 75 dangerous and congested level crossings by 2025. With 47 already gone the project is ahead of schedule so another 10 have been added to make it 85 level crossings gone by 2025.

We're removing 22 level crossings on the Pakenham line. 11 are already gone, 6 are going and now we have added another 5 including:

• Webb Street, Narre Warren
• Station Street, Beaconsfield
• Brunt Road, Beaconsfield
• Progress Street, Dandenong South (closure)
• Station Street, Officer (closure)

Removing these crossings will improve safety, reduce congestion and allow more trains, more often.

New station

A new station will be built at Narre Warren as part of the crossing removal.

Level crossing-free line

Creating a level crossing-free Pakenham line will change how locals live, work and travel. With no level crossings on the train line, journeys will be faster and local roads safer.

Level crossings are currently being removed along the Pakenham line, which will be extended to Pakenham East. These new crossings will be added to those projects to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Work is also underway on the Metro Tunnel which will create room for 120,00 more passengers on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines during peak periods.

Level crossing closures

We're closing the level crossings in Progress Street, Dandenong and Station Street, Officer to make the area safer. At Station Street we'll build a new pedestrian crossing.

At Progress Street we’ll investigate opportunities for a new connection to the South Gippsland Highway. There have been 11 near misses at these crossings since 2012.

Why these level crossings need to go

• Approximately 33,000 vehicles travel through these crossings each day
• Boom gates are down for up to 40 minutes of the morning peak (7am to 9am)
• 24 trains during the morning peak (7am to 9am)

Who we are

The Level Crossing Removal Project was established in 2015 by the Victorian Government to remove 50 dangerous and congested level crossings across metropolitan Melbourne by 2022.

In 2018, the Victorian Government committed to removing a further 25 level crossings by 2025.

Now in 2021, another 10 will go meaning 85 level crossings removed by 2025.

Removing the 85 level crossings will deliver:

• More reliable roads and rail – traffic congestion will be reduced, and more trains will be able to run more often.
• Improved safety – crossing the rail line will be safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
• More opportunities – removing level crossings will enhance and create vibrant areas for the community.

Project benefits

We're removing 22 level crossings on the Pakenham line and building 9 new train stations by 2025.

• Overall, the Victorian Government is investing $15 billion to upgrade the Pakenham line
• The Pakenham line will be crossing-free by 2025
• Allows more trains to run more often and eases road congestion
• The new Narre Warren Station will have better facilities for passengers including more lighting and CCTV
• Across Melbourne, we'll create over 20 MCGs worth of open space and over 50kms of new walking and cycling paths.

Technical designs to remove the level crossings

Each level crossing is unique and needs a design that considers environmental, community and technical factors. A design that works well for one area may not necessarily suit another.

Designs for level crossing removals are assessed and developed by teams of technical experts including engineers and construction specialists.

Initial assessments indicate the following design solutions will deliver the best outcome for the community.

We'll build a new road bridge over the rail* line at Brunt Road and Station Street in Beaconsfield. This design means we can get rid of these crossings sooner and will be less disruptive for road and rail users during construction.

We'll build a hybrid design* at Webb Street in Narre Warren that will lower Webb Street and build a rail bridge over the road. This design means we'll minimise disruptions for motorists on the busy Princes Highway and Cranbourne Road. Lowering Webb Street means the rail bridge will not need to be as long.

* Further engineering assessments and community engagement will be undertaken on these projects.

Upcoming site investigations

As we remove a level crossing, it is important that we have a detailed understanding of the conditions at each site.

To do this, we complete lots of site investigations to better understand the ground conditions and work out what designs and construction methods can be used in each location.

Over the coming months, our teams will do further investigations and studies in and around the rail corridor. This includes activities such as soil testing, heritage assessments and ground water monitoring.

You’ll see our crew working, but the works are unlikely to cause disruption to the community. We’ll notify residents who live nearby before we start these works.

Keep in touch

We will be out in the community to talk to you about these projects in the coming months.

Send us a private message on our Facebook page.

Contact our 24/7 call centre on 1800 105 105 or email contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au