Glen Huntly's Big Dig is set to kick off, as the Andrews Labor Government gets on with removing the two dangerous and congested level crossings at Neerim and Glen Huntly roads, and delivering a brand new Glen Huntly Station.
Crews are working around the clock to get the site ready and deliver the project more than a year ahead of schedule, with more than 2,250 piles in place to make up the walls of the 1km rail trench, which will see trains run under Neerim and Glen Huntly roads.
During the construction blitz, more than 500 workers will be on site 24/7 excavating about 65 Olympic swimming pools worth of soil, pouring more than 30,000 cubic metres of concrete, installing new tracks and signalling, and building the new station - which will open in August.
To get ready for excavation of the trench, there will be road closures in the area, including Glen Huntly Road from Friday 5 May until mid-July and Neerim Road from Monday 29 May until late June.
Buses will replace trains on the Frankston Line between Caulfield to Moorabbin during this time while crews get on with these works.
The Glen Huntly Road level crossing has one of the last remaining tram squares on the metro network - removing it will reduce congestion and make tram and train journeys more reliable and safer for pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and drivers.
While the blitz is underway, buses will replace trams between the Glen Huntly Tram Depot and Carnegie from Friday 5 May until mid-July and replace trains between South Yarra and Moorabbin from 8:30pm 5 May to last service 7 May.
From mid-July, Glen Huntly Road will be boom gate-free and a new central tram stop will replace the dangerous tram square.
More than 20,000 vehicles travel through these level crossings each weekday, where the boom gates are down for almost an hour of the morning peak. More than 3,000 people use Glen Huntly Station every weekday.
The Frankston Line will be level crossing-free by 2029 with all 27 dangerous and congested crossings gone for good and 17 new stations built - changing the way locals live, work and travel in Melbourne's south-east.
Across Melbourne, the Labor Government is removing 110 level crossings by 2030, with 67 already gone for good.
As stated by Premier Daniel Andrews
"We're getting rid of two dangerous and congested level crossings in Glen Huntly a year ahead of schedule - it'll save lives, ease congestion and get Victorians home sooner."
As stated by Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
"We're powering ahead with our construction blitz, revitalising the Glen Huntly Station precinct, creating more open space, improving transport connections and making the community safer as we make the Frankston Line level crossing-free by 2029."
