Journeys across Melbourne will be safer and more reliable, with another 3 dangerous and congested level crossings gone for good in Mordialloc and Aspendale this week, and passengers now using a new Mordialloc Station.
The elevated Mordialloc Station opened this morning, and services returned to the Frankston Line following a 3-week construction blitz, with trains now running on 2 new rail bridges over McDonald Street, Mordialloc and Station Street, Aspendale.
Vehicles are now using a new road and signalised intersection connecting Station Street to Nepean Highway, easing congestion through the area.
Together with the Bear Street level crossing that closed permanently in August last year, about 26,000 vehicles travelled through these level crossings every day, with drivers facing delays when the boom gates were down for up to 40 minutes in the morning peak.
Getting rid of these crossings will also boost safety by permanently separating trains from vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists, with one death and 12 near misses recorded across the 3 sites since 2016.
The new premium Mordialloc Station features entrances at both ends of the station, lift and stair access, a passenger waiting room, toilets, and seating, and a new one-kilometre walking and cycling path within the station precinct.
With trains back on the Frankston Line, passengers will benefit from a new timetable with 12 extra weekly services, including trains every five minutes or better during peak periods.
In total, 91 level crossings have been removed across Melbourne since 2015, making roads safer by preventing 119 crashes and near misses each year and cutting commute times by eliminating 60 hours of boom gate down time in the morning peak.
