Motorists and commuters on the Mernda Line will see big changes in Melbourne’s north from next week, as a crew of 250 people work around the clock on the rail bridge that will take trains over Keon Parade.
Keon Parade will be closed at the level crossing from midnight Monday 29 April to 6am, Monday 20 May, and buses will replace trains on sections of the Mernda Line from 9pm, Tuesday 30 April to last service Tuesday 7 May.
The construction team will work around the clock, both up on the tracks and on the road underneath the new elevated rail bridge to:
- connect new tracks to the existing rail network
- commission the new rail bridge and run test trains
- remove Keon Parade boom gates and redundant rail infrastructure
- resurface and line mark the road.
Trains will start running on the new bridge on Wednesday 8 May, but will not stop at Keon Park Station, as works continue on the new station. A shuttle bus will run between Ruthven and Thomastown to connect Keon Park passengers with trains.
Keon Parade will re-open level crossing free on Monday 20 May, cutting travel times and improving safety. Please allow extra time when travelling through the area. Plan your journey here.
The construction team is targeting a late June opening for the new Keon Park Station.
Works will continue on the new station over the next few months, including installing lifts and stairs, reinstating more than 160 car spaces and planting more than 45,000 trees, shrubs and grasses around the station precinct.
The project will reduce congestion for more than 18,000 vehicles travelling through this level crossing each weekday, with boom gates down for more than 41 minutes during the morning peak, 7am to 9am.
