Glenroy Station’s Big Dig Hits Next Gear

Glenroy construction of a marathon nine-day dig to excavate soil along the Craigieburn line tonight, contributing to removing the dangerous and congested level crossing at Glenroy Road and building a brand new Glenroy Station.

Around 19,000 vehicles pass through the Glenroy Road crossing each day, with the boom gates down for up to 43 per cent of the morning peak. Crews started preparing for this major excavation mission in March. The team aims to remove 4 Olympic swimming pools worth of soil from the rail line by the end of the blitz, and 30 will need to be excavated for the rail trench that will remove the level crossing for good.

Buses will replace trains on sections of the Craigieburn line from 8:15 pm Tuesday 6 April to the first service on Friday 16 April. Crews are expected to hit basalt rock – as the rail corridor is built on top of the Western Victorian Volcanic Plain, which is the third-largest rock formation of its type in the world. These works will cause higher than normal levels of noise, dust and vibration. Locals are thanked for their patience.

In Melbourne’s west, major construction is about to kick off at another congested level crossing site at Robinsons Road in Deer Park, which is being removed with a road under rail solution. The first of three 100-tonne piling rigs have now mobilised on to the site and soon start creating deep foundations for a new road underpass. Excavation under the rail line will start in the middle of the year.

Meanwhile, a contract will shortly be awarded to remove two more level crossings at Neerim Road and Glen Huntly Road, both in Glen Huntly – where boom gates can be down for up to 58 per cent of the morning peak when 40 trains run through the crossings.

Early works on this project – which will lower the rail line into a trench – will begin towards the end of the year and be complete by 2024 – a year ahead of schedule. A new pedestrian and cycle path connecting Ormond and Caulfield will feature the Glen Huntly level crossing removal, as will a new, modern Glenhuntly Station.

Back at Glenroy, regional crews will use the upcoming construction blitz to get on with the next stage of the Shepparton Line Upgrade, carrying out bridge repairs, track maintenance and other critical works. The Glenroy Road level crossing will be gone, and the new Glenroy Station open for passengers in 2022 as part of a massive pipeline of work to improve transport in the northern suburbs.

Work is now underway at 22 level crossing sites around Melbourne, with 46 of 75 dangerous and congested level crossings already removed.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said:

“In 2021, we’ll be removing one level crossing, on average, every single month. That’s a cracking pace, and it’s exciting to see progress unfold at sites all over Melbourne.”

“I want to thank the local community for their patience over the coming months – but we know the result will be worth it. This crossing is one of the most congested in Melbourne, and it’s time for it to go.”

Member for Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn said:

“Thousands of vehicles get stuck at this level crossing every single day – it’s going to be great to see it gone for good and a brand-new station being built.”

END

Read the Media Release here.

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