The Lilydale Line is Melbourne’s first rail line to be boom gate free with the final 2 dangerous and congested level crossings now gone for good, a year ahead of schedule.
Lilydale Line trains have resumed running following a 6 week construction blitz to remove level crossings at Dublin Road, Ringwood East and Coolstore Road, Croydon.
Since 2017, the Level Crossing Removal Project has removed 9 level crossings and built 6 new stations along the Lilydale Line, which together with the Belgrave Line, is Melbourne’s second busiest rail line on the network, used by more than 72,000 passengers each weekday.
Getting rid of these crossings has eliminated more than 5 hours of boom gate down time from the Lilydale Line in the morning peak and reduced frustrating delays for the more than 123,000 vehicles travelling through these crossings every morning.
Separating trains and vehicles along the busy rail line has also made the road and rail network safer for all users.
Previously, serious accidents and fatalities had been recorded at several of the level crossing sites, including Union Road in Surrey Hills, fast-tracked for removal in 2023 after the deaths of 2 people.
The new transport precincts have transformed communities along the rail line, delivering almost 7km of new walking and cycling paths to link to surrounding bike networks, and thousands of square metres of new and upgraded open spaces landscaped with more than 260,000 trees, shrubs and plantings.
World class station designs have also improved local amenity, with the Lilydale and Mooroolbark stations nominated for several national and international design awards, and Union Station in Surrey Hills recognised for its environmental focus, awarded the Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s highest rating for a Victorian rail project.
Level crossings removed from the Lilydale Line include Blackburn Road, Blackburn; Heatherdale Road, Ringwood; Manchester Road, Mooroolbark; Maroondah Highway, Lilydale; Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert; Union Road, Surrey Hills; Cave Hill Road, Lilydale; Coolstore Road, Croydon; and Dublin Road, Ringwood East.
The Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will be Melbourne’s next rail lines to be boom gate free next year, followed by the Frankston Line in 2029 and the Werribee Line in 2030.