The Sunbury Line is now boom gate free, with the last 3 sets of boom gates dismantled from the line.
It follows a weekend works blitz that saw the removal of boom gates at Old Calder Highway, Diggers Rest, and in Calder Park, at Holden Road and at Calder Park Drive, where a new road bridge over the rail line opened to traffic last week, marking the 87th level crossing removal.
Getting rid of these level crossings improves safety by separating trains from vehicles and cuts congestion on local roads in Melbourne’s busy north west.
The Sunbury Line had some of the most dangerous level crossings in Melbourne.
The first 2 level crossings to be removed on the line were the scene of multiple fatalities and near misses, with 2 deaths and more than 60 near misses recorded at the Main Road level crossing in St Albans in the decade prior to its removal in 2016, and 3 fatalities at the nearby Furlong Road level crossing.
New stations were also built at Ginifer and St Albans in 2016, with a memorial garden at the St Albans Station featuring a plaque honoring all Victorians killed at level crossings.
Making the Sunbury Line boom gate free has eased congestion for the 108,000 motorists that used the 8 level crossings each weekday, eliminating 4 hours of boom gate down time in the morning peak. It also avoids even longer boom gate down times when the Metro Tunnel opens later this year, paving the way for more services to run on the line.
The Metro Tunnel will connect the Sunbury Line in the city’s north west to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in the south east. When the Pakenham Line becomes boom gate free later this year, trains will be able to travel 100km to Sunbury without a single level crossing, providing access to 5 new underground stations.
Sunbury Line passengers will also benefit from access to new High Capacity Metro Trains on all services when the Metro Tunnel opens. With 7 carriages, these trains can accommodate up to 20% more passengers, boosting capacity and accessibility.
Other crossings to go from the Sunbury Line included Melton Highway, Sydenham; Gap Road, Sunbury, and Watsons Road, Diggers Rest, which will see a new road bridge over the rail line open later this year.
The Sunbury Line is Melbourne’s second rail line to be boom gate free, following the Lilydale Line becoming level crossing free last year. The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will be boom gate free later this year, followed by the Frankston Line in 2029 and the Werribee Line in 2030.
