Duplication of Hurstbridge Line and removal of Alphington and Rosanna level crossings to commence next year
The removal of two more level crossings – Grange Road in Alphington and Lower Plenty Rd in Rosanna – will start next year as part of a package of works that includes a new Rosanna Station and duplicated Hurstbridge line, the Victorian Government has announced.
In a statement last week said, Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the two level crossing removals, second track and new Rosanna Station have been released to market and will be delivered as a single project worth more than half-a-billion dollars.
According to the government, the Grange and Lower Plenty road level crossings are two of Melbourne’s worst, with boom gates down for more than a third of the morning peak, clogging roads in Melbourne’s north eastern suburbs.
Their fast-tracking means 25 dangerous and congested level crossings will be removed by the end of 2019, including at least 20 by the next election.
The Hurstbridge line is one of Melbourne’s most congested. Removing the level crossings and building a second track in Heidelberg will allow more services, reducing crowding and carrying more people every single day.
Duplication of the line will also boost the reliability of services, removing the bottleneck that forces trains heading one way to wait for trains heading the other, and compounding delays and frustration for passengers.
Consultation is already under way at Grange Road and will start soon at Lower Plenty Road and on the Hurstbridge line duplication.
The Request for Proposal for these works will close in July. Construction is expected to commence in 2017 and be complete in 2019.
Source: News Release, Urbanalyst, 20 June, 2016