Passenger and freight trains are now running on the first section of elevated rail between Caulfield and Dandenong.
The new Noble Park Station sits at the centre of a 1.5km stretch of raised track that is now taking trains over Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler roads, removing these dangerous level crossings forever.
They are the first three of nine level crossings that will be removed in 2018 between Caulfield and Dandenong.
More than 275 trains, including Metro, V/Line and freight services, will run along the new elevated tracks each day. The first pulled in at Noble Park at 5.23am on 15 February 2018.
With traffic flowing freely, the tens of thousands of drivers who use Chandler, Heatherton and Corrigan roads every day are already enjoying level-crossing-free Noble Park.
Premier, Daniel Andrews, said, “This is a significant moment for this community and Victoria – after years of frustration, the level crossings are gone forever and trains are running on this state-of-the-art line.
“We’re getting things done. These crossings are gone and six more will be removed by the end of the year – creating space for bigger trains, more often on Melbourne’s busiest line.”
The project is expected to bring huge improvements for small businesses and traders, many of whom have long felt cut off from customers or local destinations on the opposite side of the tracks.
Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said the project is not only about the massive benefits to traffic and safety, it’s creating thousands of jobs for people in Melbourne’s south east.
“In the past five years there have been hundreds of near misses at these level crossings — now they’re gone because we get things done.”
By separating cars from trains, the Caulfield to Dandenong project will allow more trains to run more often on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line – Melbourne’s busiest.
The line is used by 90,000 passengers each day, forcing boom gates down for more than 80 minutes in the morning peak at the busiest crossing on the line.
