First level crossing gone as part of $1B Cranbourne Line Upgrade in VIC

The new Evans Road Bridge – courtesy of the Level Crossing Removal Project.

The new road bridge at Evans Road in Melbourne’s South East is now open to traffic as part of the $1 billion upgrades program on the Cranbourne Line.

This level crossing connects Lyndhurst, Lynbrook and Cranbourne West which have been split by the rail line for fifteen years.

Since the closure of Evans Road level crossing in 2005 drivers have been known to take risks travelling across the rail line or have been made to take time-consuming detours.

The new 620 metre road bridge was built using 135,000 tonnes of compacted earth, 450 tonnes of Australian-made steel and more than 3,000 cubic metres of locally sourced concrete. The project supported regional jobs with more than 750 concrete retaining wall panels supplied by GBG Concrete based in Sale.

Works will continue in the coming months to plant 46,000 trees, shrubs and grasses creating a green community space.

The Cranbourne Line Upgrades will see the rail line free of level crossings by 2025 and Evans Road is the first one to go. The track will also be duplicated to allow trains to run every 10 minutes on the line.

The Cranbourne Line Upgrade, Metro Tunnel and new high-capacity trains are expected to create capacity for 121,000 extra passengers every week on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines during peak periods, 45 per cent more than peak capacity now.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said getting rid of the Evans Road crossing is the first step in our massive Cranbourne Line upgrade.

“With 39 level crossings now gone, we’re well ahead of schedule and we’re not slowing down – works are underway on 20 crossing removal projects right now to bust congestion right across our city.”