More than 700 locals recently came together to celebrate the end of works on 8 level crossing removal projects on the Frankston Line.
The community event on Saturday 8 October started in Beeson Reserve, Edithvale with a Welcome to Country, followed by a 5km community bike ride with around 100 locals to Carrum foreshore park, along the new shared use path built as part of the project.
At Carrum foreshore, locals enjoyed live music, free drinks and food and interactive kids’ activities including face painting, a silent disco and a magician.
In Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach 5 level crossing were removed by lowering the rail line under the local road network into 3 rail trenches, each around 1km long and up to 7-metres deep. Three new stations also opened in Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach, featuring better station facilities and all-abilities access for commuters – improving commuters’ experience on the Frankston Line.
In Carrum, 3 level crossings were removed by building a rail bridge. We also built a new Carrum Station, and created a new direct connection from McLeod Road to Nepean Highway for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Locals are now also able to enjoy 4 new community open spaces, created as part of Carrum’s $50 million revitalisation.
Following the removal of the level crossings, crews remained in the area to complete the finishing touches on the projects including planting and landscaping works around the stations – more than 160,000 trees, shrubs and grasses – and installing walking and cycling paths to create more than 11km of continuous shared use path from Edithvale to Frankston.
These projects improved travel time in the area, where the boom gates would previously be down for up to 40% of the morning peak, causing delays for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
The Victorian Government is removing 27 dangerous level crossings and building 17 new stations as part of upgrades on the Frankston Line that will improve safety, reduce congestion and allow more trains to run more often.
