Locals are invited to have their say on the project which will remove 8 dangerous and congested level crossings from the Upfield Line by 2030, with community consultation now underway.
The boom gates will be removed from Albion Street, Hope Street, Victoria Street, Albert Street, Dawson Street, Union Street and Brunswick Road in Brunswick, and Park Street in Parkville by raising the rail line over the roads.
Raising this section of the Upfield rail line will complement the existing elevated rail line between Moreland Road and Bell Street in Coburg, meaning communities between Brunswick and Coburg will enjoy about 2 MCGs worth of new open space once the project is complete.
The existing stations at Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey will be consolidated into 2 new state-of-the-art stations, with direct and easy access between train services and residential areas, RMIT University, community and education facilities, employment, retail and dining options.
Following 18 months of technical and engineering assessments, it has been identified that merging the 3 stations into 2 reduces impacts to heritage, increases open space and paves the way for future upgrades on the northern rail corridor, including extra train services in the future.
The 3 existing stations are within a 1500m stretch of rail in a built-up urban area, making them among the closest stations on the network.
The entrances of the 2 new stations will be located between 200m to 450m from the current Jewell, Brunswick and Anstey stations. The new, accessible stations will have entrances at both ends of the platforms, providing access from both sides of the rail line, with covered stairs and lifts providing convenient and direct access to the platforms.
For the majority of people, access to the new stations will be improved with new, safer cycling and walking connections. For some locals, the travel time to the station will be shorter, and in cases where it is longer, the increase is expected to be less than 2 minutes.
Building 2 stations instead of 3 will minimise the impact to heritage in the area. Throughout the project, important heritage assets will be preserved, including station buildings, signal boxes, gates and other infrastructure. A key consideration of the rail bridge design was minimising impact to significant buildings such as the former Brunswick Gas Coke Retort House and Brunswick Baths.
The project has worked to minimise the impact of works on nearby properties however some compulsory property acquisition will be required. The Level Crossing Removal Project has attempted to contact affected owners and residents, who will have a dedicated team to support them throughout the process.
It is likely some property owners will be offered a Voluntary Purchase Scheme, with eligibility to be confirmed once detailed design work is complete.
Community members are now invited to help shape the designs and have their say on the Brunswick level crossing removal project, including how they move around the area and what they love most about the neighbourhoods. More information is available at Engage Victoria.
It is expected that early works on the project will begin in 2028, with the 8 level crossings be gone for good, and the 2 new stations open in 2030.
