The Frankston Line will be back up and going with trains running through a new rail trench and stopping at the new Glen Huntly Station ahead of schedule from Monday 31 July.
Passengers will be able to catch the train from the new Glen Huntly Station after a 58-day construction blitz, which saw more than 64 Olympic swimming pools worth of soil excavated from the 1.2km rail trench, following works to remove dangerous and congested level crossings at Glen Huntly and Neerim roads.
More than 20,000 vehicles travelled through the level crossings each weekday when the boom gates were down for almost an hour of the morning peak and more than 3000 people use Glen Huntly Station every weekday.
Express services will resume on the Frankston Line for the first time since late 2022 when the third track in Glen Huntly was closed.
We have worked 24/7 to remove the level crossings at Neerim and Glen Huntly roads, which opened boom gate free earlier in the month.
As well as the level crossings, the tram square on Glen Huntly Road – where trams, trains, and vehicles all intersect – has been removed, ensuring more reliable journeys for Route 67 trams and locals in Glen Huntly.
When the new station opens, it will have a new name. The station, which was known as ‘Glenhuntly’, will become ‘Glen Huntly’, to bring the name in line with the suburb, road, and tram stop and fixing one of Melbourne’s oldest spelling mistakes.
Finishing works, including installing lifts, laying bricks, and fitting out the station buildings will continue into August with the project expected to be complete in 2024. The new modern station precinct will improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists, tram passengers and drivers as well as create a better connection between the station, shops, homes and amenities.
The crossings were fast-tracked for removal by 2024, with major works starting in mid 2022.
With the dangerous and congested level crossings at Neerim and Glen Huntly roads now gone for good the Frankston Line takes another step closer to being level crossing free by 2029, improving safety, reducing congestion and allowing more trains to run more often.
As part of the project, track rationalisation work at Caulfield has been completed, allowing more trains to run more often on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines.