- Minister for Transport Infrastructure
Work to duplicate the Cranbourne line and remove another dangerous and congested level crossing will soon get underway, delivering more reliable train services for Melbourne's growing southeast.
The new contracts as part of the Cranbourne Line Upgrade and will remove the Greens Road level crossing, build a new Merinda Park Station, and duplicate eight kilometres of track between Dandenong and Lynbrook.
The upgrade will allow more trains, more often on the Cranbourne Line, with services running up to every 10 minutes on fully duplicated track. Together with the Metro Tunnel and new high-capacity trains, the project will create capacity for 121,000 extra peak hour passengers every week on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
The project will build new rail bridges over Greens Road, Eumemmerring Creek and Abbotts Road in the busy Dandenong South area - as well as rebuilding Merinda Park Station to accommodate the dual track - with two platforms, better weather protection and an improved layout for better passenger connectivity.
Removing the single-track bottlenecks that restrict Cranbourne line trains will ease congestion and improve safety in one of the state's most significant residential, industrial and employment areas.
The works are due for completion by 2023 and pave the way for the future extension of the line to Clyde.
When the Cranbourne line's last four level crossings are removed by 2025, it will be the first level crossing-free line in the state.
In partnership with the Level Crossing Removal Project, the track duplication between Dandenong and Lynbrook and the removal of the Greens Road level crossing will be delivered by an alliance of McConnell Dowell, Arup, Mott MacDonald and Metro Trains Melbourne.
The remaining track duplication between Lynbrook and Cranbourne, new Merinda Park station and Lynbrook Station parking upgrades will be delivered by a Laing O'Rourke, Jacobs and Metro Trains Melbourne alliance.
Work is also continuing on the new road bridge and removal of the Evans Road level crossing in Lyndhurst, with the bridge foundations underway in preparation for concrete beams spanning the rail line to be installed mid-year.
To find out more about Victoria's Big Build projects across the state, visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au.
As stated by Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
"With 11 level crossings already removed along the Cranbourne line, we're getting on with delivering better services to more people in Melbourne's growing south east."
"Whether it's road or rail - we're delivering big projects to keep people the booming south east moving."
As stated by Member for Cranbourne Pauline Richards
"The Cranbourne Line Upgrade is just one of a suite of major road and rail projects easing congestion, improving safety and making journeys more reliable in the south-east."
