Two more level crossings to go, bringing relief to drivers - and some residents

Date
    January 4, 2016
     The Age


Two of northern Melbourne's most hated level crossings are to be removed by the Andrews government, even though neither had been considered urgently needed under a 2014 VicRoads assessment.   :)

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan on Monday announced that level crossings at High Street, Reservoir, and Bell Street, Preston, would go as part of the government's promise to remove 50 over two terms of government.   :)

Reservoir and Bell railway stations will also be rebuilt. Both projects will commence in 2018.
Mella Gigis bought next to the rail line in Preston in 2013 and says she has slowly been driven mad by car and train noise.

Mella Gigis bought next to the rail line in Preston in 2013 and says she has slowly been driven mad by car and train noise. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

Both level crossings regularly experience collisions and near misses, and a fatality occurred near the Reservoir crossing in 2006.

"Removing these two crossings will make travelling around Melbourne's north easier and safer," Ms Allan said.

Removal of the Bell Street crossing can't come quick enough for resident Mella Gigis.


The High Street, Reservoir, level crossing the state government will begin removing in 2018. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

The 68-year-old's apartment overlooks the level crossing, and she says the noise has all but driven her crazy in her three years living there.

Buying the apartment was "the biggest mistake I've made in my life", Ms Gigis said.

"My house is beautiful but I can't sleep all night. The house shakes because the semi trailers are so big, and the train is so loud – especially at night time."

She hoped removing the level crossing would help reduce the problem.

Preston MP and finance minister Robin Scott said the Reservoir crossing was also extremely unpopular with locals. He said its removal would be a lasting legacy for the city.

The two level crossings both appeared on VicRoads' list of Melbourne's most needed removals, compiled in 2014.

But neither was highlighted as being of a high, medium or even lower priority in the short term, with dozens considered more urgent.

By 2022, however, population growth would make the two among those considered the most in need of removal.

Melbourne has almost 250 level crossings, 178 of them on the Metro Trains network.

The RACV's Brian Negus said the Reservoir crossing had appeared on the transport group's last three "Red Spot" surveys of the state's most hated congestion spots.

Alphington's Chandler Highway bridge topped the last survey, followed by Reservoir.

Delays at railway level crossings were among the most infuriating road conditions, he said. "A lot of the level crossings are shut for more than 30 minutes in each hour during peak hour."

Greens leader Greg Barber said doing one or two level crossing removals on each line wouldn't add extra train services. "While it's good to cut local traffic congestion, there's no real plan here to run more trains and relieve overcrowding."

But the Public Transport Users Association commended the removals, with president Tony Morton saying there was a consensus between public transport authorities, VicRoads and the community that they should be done.   :)

The Preston and Reservoir crossings were good projects to tackle, he said. "These are level crossings that are not the safest, that make motorists see red, and that have stations that we feel no nostalgia for," Dr Morton said. "The stations need rebuilding with proper disability access and better facilities."

    I have to say hats off to the Andrews government on this one. It's a bit of a thankless task - no matter what priorities they set when choosing which crossings to fix they will cop criticism, some legit - but they are finally doing what needs to be done for the good of both train and road traffic, which is more than I can say for pretty much every government of any stripe since Kennet privatised public transport.

    Now if only we could get a train to the airport... I know, I know, look at the transurban contract and the money the airport makes off taxis. But we can dream.   :)

Commenter
    Fred
Date and time
    January 05, 2016, 6:56AM

wow how many gone so far. crook?..

There will be 20 in the first term of the Andrews government.  The another 30 in the second term.   :) 

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 6:39am:

There will be 20 in the first term of the Andrews government.  The another 30 in the second term.   :)

Hi sir Crook,
how many level crossings are gone since Dan was elected?

I cant say Sir Bobby, only that it will be 20 in the first term.  Good to see that the Andrews Government are doing what they said they would.   :) 

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:00am:

I cant say Sir Bobby, only that it will be 20 in the first term.  Good to see that the Andrews Government are doing what they said they would.   :)

I am sure some are underway???.... tell us what is happening NOW....I will be coming to Melb sometime this year.....

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:00am:

I cant say Sir Bobby, only that it will be 20 in the first term.  Good to see that the Andrews Government are doing what they said they would.   :)

How do you know they are? You can't even tell us how many have been done so far. For all you know, only one or two have been.

cods wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:02am:

wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:00am: I cant say Sir Bobby, only that it will be 20 in the first term.  Good to see that the Andrews Government are doing what they said they would.   :)  I am sure some are underway???.... tell us what is happening NOW....I will be coming to Melb sometime this year.....

It's okay cods, he's paid by the Unions to run feel-good stories about the ALP even if they're only partially true or even straight-out lies.

It doesn't matter how many have or haven't been done.  The Andrews government said there will be 20 in its first term.  So as long as the 20 are done, by the end of the first term I am happy with that.   :) 

Libs will never recognise why those rail crossings were better off improved vs. a toll road.

Improves bottlenecks, productivity (to businesses that use roads), safety (no more rail crossing crashes/accidents), jobs.

You can see already from the lib postings what little they understand why it is necessary to remove them. 

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:11am:

It doesn't matter how many have or haven't been done.  The Andrews government said there will be 20 in its first term.  So as long as the 20 are done, by the end of the first term I am happy with that.   :)

well so far what you are saying is..

its all WORDS....im ok with that....

just thought at least one would be on the way...especially as they are announcing MORE will be fixed...

cods wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:48am:

wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:11am: It doesn't matter how many have or haven't been done.  The Andrews government said there will be 20 in its first term.  So as long as the 20 are done, by the end of the first term I am happy with that.   :)  well so far what you are saying is.. its all WORDS....im ok with that.... just thought at least one would be on the way...especially as they are announcing MORE will be fixed...

That's the Labor way - words and promises don't necessarily have to be backed up with action in the ALP.

cods wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:48am:

wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:11am: It doesn't matter how many have or haven't been done.  The Andrews government said there will be 20 in its first term.  So as long as the 20 are done, by the end of the first term I am happy with that.   :)  well so far what you are saying is.. its all WORDS....im ok with that.... just thought at least one would be on the way...especially as they are announcing MORE will be fixed...

So you are saying none have been done or even started?

Hows the planning going on them Crook?

Saul Goodman wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:57am:

cods wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:48am: wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:11am: It doesn't matter how many have or haven't been done.  The Andrews government said there will be 20 in its first term.  So as long as the 20 are done, by the end of the first term I am happy with that.   :)  well so far what you are saying is.. its all WORDS....im ok with that.... just thought at least one would be on the way...especially as they are announcing MORE will be fixed... So you are saying none have been done or even started? Hows the planning going on them Crook?

all he knows is 20 will be done in their first term.....

Well just the other day I saw a new advertisment on the TV about the level crossings. So I suppose its well in the planning process. All under control.   :)   

FFS - Whinging, whining righties. Cannot you just acknowledge something good?.   The stinking Libs done bugger all whilst in their disasterous 1 term - but all you roids can do is bitch and whine. 

http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/crossings

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:13am:

Well just the other day I saw a new advertisment on the TV about the level crossings. So I suppose its well in the planning process. All under control.   :)

http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/crossings

cods wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 6:36am:

wow how many gone so far. crook?..

One does not simply remove a level crossing. The project has to be planned, funds allocated in a Budget and the works completed. Planning can take a year or more. The Budget allocation is likely to happen only once a year. The works typically take a year or more to complete and need to be timed meticulously to minimise disruption. Roads often have to be closed temporarily. The timing of road closures and line closures is often set for quieter periods to minimise disruption.

This is why Burke Rd is currently closed to traffic right now and the whole of the Glen Waverley line is also closed. Level crossing works at Burke Rd have reached a point where road closure is necessary. Closing the road in the two weeks after Christmas is better than at any other time of the year. These works have been in progress for many months.

All that work from start of planning to completion of removal takes a minimum of two years. The Andrews government have been in office for 13½ months.

Vic wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:19am:

for goodness sake - Whinging, whining righties. Cannot you just acknowledge something good?.

Of course not, they're kicking themselves that the Liberals didn't think of it first.

Bam wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:21am:

cods wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 6:36am: wow how many gone so far. crook?.. One does not simply remove a level crossing. The project has to be planned, funds allocated in a Budget and the works completed. Planning can take a year or more. The Budget allocation is likely to happen only once a year. The works typically take a year or more to complete and need to be timed meticulously to minimise disruption. Roads often have to be closed temporarily. The timing of road closures and line closures is often set for quieter periods to minimise disruption. This is why Burke Rd is currently closed to traffic right now and the whole of the Glen Waverley line is also closed. Level crossing works at Burke Rd have reached a point where road closure is necessary. Closing the road in the two weeks after Christmas is better than at any other time of the year. These works have been in progress for many months. All that work from start of planning to completion of removal takes a minimum of two years. The Andrews government have been in office for 13½ months.

Yes I guess it takes a bit longer than laying a few  hundred metres of tar.

What are the building over/under passes I suspect?

Bam wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:21am:

cods wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 6:36am: wow how many gone so far. crook?.. One does not simply remove a level crossing. The project has to be planned, funds allocated in a Budget and the works completed. Planning can take a year or more. The Budget allocation is likely to happen only once a year, there's not a billion-dollar level crossing slush fund. The works typically take a year or more to complete and need to be timed meticulously to minimise disruption. Roads often have to be closed. The timing of road closures and line closures is often set for quieter periods to minimise disruption. Agreed Bam.  I use the Frankston line if i need to get to the city, and it is going to be one of the worst affected by this much needed upgrade.     It will be nigh impossible to do it all in one go, but they have started and although it will cause disruption, it will be a great improvement on the existing service This is why Burke Rd is currently closed to traffic right now and the whole of the Glen Waverley line is also closed. Level crossing works at Burke Rd have reached a point where road closure is necessary. Closing the road in the two weeks after Christmas is better than at any other time of the year. These works have been in progress for many months. All that work from start of planning to completion of removal takes a minimum of two years. The Andrews government have been in office for 13½ months.

Because each project takes about two to three years to complete, none have been completed so far.

The Burke Rd project is the closest to be completed. Planning for this project started under the previous government.

Burke Rd, Gardiner has a tram line crossing a railway line, and the whole mess is located 100 metres from a freeway entrance.


Quote:

This level crossing removal will include: * 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 * consolidating three tram stops into one centre island platform stop on Burke Road for easy access to the station.

Source

Saul Goodman wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:26am:

Bam wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 8:21am: cods wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 6:36am: wow how many gone so far. crook?.. One does not simply remove a level crossing. The project has to be planned, funds allocated in a Budget and the works completed. Planning can take a year or more. The Budget allocation is likely to happen only once a year. The works typically take a year or more to complete and need to be timed meticulously to minimise disruption. Roads often have to be closed temporarily. The timing of road closures and line closures is often set for quieter periods to minimise disruption. This is why Burke Rd is currently closed to traffic right now and the whole of the Glen Waverley line is also closed. Level crossing works at Burke Rd have reached a point where road closure is necessary. Closing the road in the two weeks after Christmas is better than at any other time of the year. These works have been in progress for many months. All that work from start of planning to completion of removal takes a minimum of two years. The Andrews government have been in office for 13½ months. Yes I guess it takes a bit longer than laying a few  hundred metres of tar. What are the building over/under passes I suspect?

The design for most of them seems to be road over, rail under. The majority of the time spent on these works is spent excavating the cutting for the new railway in a new alignment. These cuttings may only be about ten metres wide or less. The sides are often vertical which requires pillars to support the ground. These pillars need to be sunk deep into the earth (the earthboring machine is enormous, taller than a four-story building) and need to be placed close together, almost touching. They may only do a few pillars each day. Only when the pillars are all in place can they begin excavation of the new cutting for the railway line.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 7:03am:

wrote on Jan 5th, 2016 at 7:00am: I cant say Sir Bobby, only that it will be 20 in the first term.  Good to see that the Andrews Government are doing what they said they would.   :)  How do you know they are? You can't even tell us how many have been done so far. For all you know, only one or two have been.

Here you go...

http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/crossings

Quote:

Two of northern Melbourne's most hated level crossings are to be removed by the Andrews government, even though neither had been considered urgently needed under a 2014 VicRoads assessment. Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan on Monday announced that level crossings at High Street, Reservoir, and Bell Street, Preston, would go as part of the government's promise to remove 50 over two terms of government.

If you want to see a map of the level crossing in Reservoir, click here. It's an unholy mess. A major road running parallel to the railway line and meeting other roads at the crossing, straight roads turning into a torturous mess at the crossing.

This crossing wasn't high on the priority list because the major road does not actually cross the railway line. It gives you some idea of how bad some of the other crossings are.

Vic wrote on Jan 5^th, 2016 at 8:19am:

for goodness sake - Whinging, whining righties. Cannot you just acknowledge something good?.   The stinking Libs done bugger all whilst in their disasterous 1 term - but all you roids can do is bitch and whine.  http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/crossings

You take that back , they built a helipad and  cost taxpayers a half a billion approving something even they didnt want .

Hopefully the good people of victoria will appreciate they have a good government with Andrews at the helm and won't make the mistake of putting the incompetent libs in again. Isn't it great to see a goverment who do what they say instead promising the world then going against everything promised.