30 November 2018

The Framework

The Victorian Government has adopted a selection framework for future level crossing removals. Under the framework, crossings are prioritised for removal based on the following key principles:

Safety

Sites with a record of incidents and a high risk of incidents.

Movement

Sites with excessive delay, congestion and unreliability, caused by high train frequencies and high traffic volumes.

Place

Sites where high train frequency significantly limits connectivity between communities and impedes access to important facilities.

Delivery efficiency

Sites where there is an opportunity to increase investment efficiency and minimise disruption through leveraging delivery of other projects across the network. Using this framework, crossings at Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road in Glen Huntly have been identified as priority sites for future removal.

Site analysis

About 18,000 vehicles currently travel through these crossings each day. That figure is forecast to grow by about 16% to more than 21,000 by 2026. The boom gates at these sites can be down for up to 58% of the 7am to 9 am morning peak, when up to 40 trains run through the crossings.

Current network plans involve increasing trains running on the Frankston Line, which would mean even more boom gate downtime. Glen Huntly Road has one of Melbourne’s last remaining tram squares – a manually-operated level crossing used by both trains and trams, where trains are required to travel at very slow speeds, exacerbating boom gate delays.

The site has a third express rail track, and the highest train frequencies of the 3 remaining tram squares in Melbourne, compounding delays for rail users, trams and general motorists. As well as causing congestion and delays, these level crossings in Glen Huntly present a safety risk. There have been 11 near misses since 2012, when train drivers had to take emergency action.

Removing these crossings as a package would present significant delivery efficiencies – it would be cost effective and limit disruption to road and rail users.

New station

As part of the removal of the Glen Huntly Road level crossing, a new Glenhuntly Station would be built.

Frankston Line

As part of the current program of works, 5 level crossings have been removed on the Frankston Line at North Road in Ormond, McKinnon Road in McKinnon, Centre Road in Bentleigh, Skye/Overton Road in Frankston and Seaford Road in Seaford. A further 8 level crossing removals are part of the initial 50 level crossing removals. Removing these 2 level crossings in Glen Huntly would mean there would be no more level crossings between the city and Moorabbin Station.

Design and next steps

Early investigations suggest the most likely design to remove the Glen Huntly Road and Neerim Road level crossings would be to lower the rail line under the roads. This option would be subject to further engineering assessments and community consultation.