3 level crossings at Noble Park will be removed by the middle of February following strong progress on the Caulfield to Dandenong project.
Works in Noble Park have intensified through the start of 2018 as workers gear up for the final stages of construction that will see level crossings at Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Roads removed by 15 February.
The Caulfield to Dandenong project is removing 9 level crossings through Melbourne’s south east, including 3 at Noble Park.
These will soon be removed courtesy of a new section of elevated rail that will take trains over roads and create hectares of new open space underneath.
With construction all but completed for the elevated structure – made up of nearly 200 concrete beams and 83 piers, focus has turned to laying steel track and installing overhead wiring on the line.
To allow the final works to be carried out safely, buses will replace trains from 30 January to 14 February between Westall and Dandenong on the Cranbourne-Pakenham Line.
Acting Project Manager Zeljko Dobrilovic said the end result of the disruption would be three level crossings gone and trains stopping at Noble Park’s brand new elevated station.
'A lot of people have worked very hard on this project, and it is great to see the first phase of level crossing removals coming to fruition,' he said.
'We also need to say thank you to the local community for their cooperation and understanding through the various construction works and train disruptions.'
There is a high level of anticipation among the locals at Noble Park for the benefits this project will bring to the area, not only in relation to safety and congestion, but in opening up more civic spaces and reconnecting north and south sides of the line.
60 near misses or collisions were reported across the three level crossings between 2011 and 2017 – including an incident in 2016 where a car was clipped by a train at Chandler Road.
Of the 50 level crossings slated for removal, Heatherton Road – Noble Park’s busiest crossing was also:
- the worst for vehicle collisions over the past 6 years, with three recorded between 2011 and 2017
- the worst for near misses between 2016-17, with 15 reported.
All 9 level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong are on track to be removed by the end of the year.
Combined with a significant upgrade to power and signalling along the entire length of the Cranbourne-Pakenham Line these works will provide a boost to capacity on Melbourne’s busiest train line.