The Victorian Government has removed the 68th dangerous and congested level crossing in Melbourne’s west, as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project, with the new Mt Derrimut Road rail bridge and new Deer Park Station now open to passengers.
The new station opened to commuters on 24 April 2023, with trains now running after a 14 day construction blitz.
Victorian Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan, said, “We’re getting on with making the west an even better place to live, removing level crossings and upgrading stations, and we’re not stopping there – even more level crossings will be removed on the Ballarat Line, making Melton boom gate-free by 2028.”
Buses continue to replace trains on the Geelong Line between Wyndham Vale and Waurn Ponds until 3 May 2023 while V/Line carries out maintenance.
More than 300 people have been working around the clock since 11 April 2023 to remove the level crossing and build the new station while trains were not running on the Ballarat and Geelong train lines.
Major work will still continue on the new Deer Park Station until mid-2023, including installing lifts and ramps, fitting myki readers, creating 150 new and upgraded car parks and building the multi-bay bus interchange and pick-up/drop-off zones.
There will also be landscaping around the precinct and improved connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists, including a connection to both sides of the new station.
With the level crossing gone and the station open, crews will turn their attention to upgrading the road intersection.
Member for Koroit, Luba Grigorovitch, said, “The community will welcome seeing the back of the Mt Derrimut Road level crossing. It will make a huge difference to how people move around the area, reducing congestion and making it safer to travel.”
The Mt Derrimut Road boom gates were down for up to 60 per cent of the morning peak, delaying some of the 23,000 vehicles that passed through each day and causing traffic chaos in this part of Melbourne’s western suburbs.
In 2022, level crossings were removed at Fitzgerald Road, Ardeer and Robinsons Road, Deer Park, with the Geelong and Ballarat lines now level crossing free between Deer Park and the city.
Another four level crossing removals were also announced for the Ballarat Line in 2022 making Melton boom gate-free by 2028.
