New Gardiner Station opens following removal of Burke Road level crossing
Following the removal of the Burke Road level crossing in Glen Iris earlier in the month, the Victorian Government last week announced that trains are now stopping at the new Gardiner Station.
According to the government, the new station is safer, more accessible and easier to use that the old station, with platforms below street level meeting trains that now run underneath Burke Road without ever disrupting the traffic above.
The new station also better connects to Route 72 tram services, which now arrive and depart from a single level access tram stop directly in front of the station.
Finishing touches on the station precinct will take place over the next few months, including landscaping, and rebuilding the station car park with as many spaces as before works began.
The Burke Road level crossing removal project is part of a $524 million package of works that also includes the removal of level crossings at North Road, McKinnon Road and Centre Road, which is due to be completed by the end of the year.
The Burke Road project includes:
- Lowering the rail line below Burke Road;
- Rebuilding Gardiner Station where the car park is currently located;
- Lowered platforms accessed via lifts and stairs;
- Reconstructing the station car park to the north side where the station currently is, providing the same number of spaces;
- Building a walking and cycling path; and
- Consolidating three tram stops into one centre island platform stop on Burke Road for easy access to the station.
Source: News Release, Urbanalyst, 19 January, 2016