More level crossings to be removed along VIC Frankston Line

The Frankston Line in Victoria is set to be boom gate-free by 2029 as the State Government announces the removal of seven dangerous and congested level crossings as well as permanently closing two more. 

Removing these level crossings will ultimately transform the way locals travel to work, school or home. 

“We will make the Frankston Line level crossing free, which makes our busiest sections of the rail network safer and less congested,” Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said. 

The level crossings that are set to be removed include: 

• Wickham Road, Highett 
• Highett Road, Highett 
• McDonald Street, Mordialloc 
• Station Street, Aspendale 
• Groves Street, Aspendale 
• Armstrongs Road, Seaford 
• Station Street, Seaford 
• Latrobe Street, Mentone – for closure 
• Bear Street, Mordialloc – for closure 

“We know how important removing dangerous and congested level crossings is – that’s why we’ve removed 67 of them. But now we’ll do more, getting rid of every single level crossing along the Frankston Line. 

“We’re on budget and well ahead of schedule with our unprecedented level crossing removal projects, and now we’ll make the Frankston Line level crossing free – delivering huge benefits to local communities,” Premier Daniel Andrews said. 

In addition, new stations will also be built at Highett, Mordialloc, Aspendale and Seaford as part of the level crossing removals. The new stations will deliver modern facilities to passengers and by 2029, the Frankston Line will have 17 new stations. 

The Frankston Line will see a total of 27 level crossings removed by 2029, paving the way for more train services to run as well as helping improve safety and easing congestion. 

Early engineering assessments have identified preferred design options for the removal of each level crossing. 

At Wickham and Highett roads in Highett, a rail bridge is the preferred option as it will minimise land acquisition and also avoid a four-month closure of the Frankston Line. 

A rail bridge is also the preferred option for McDonald Street in Mordialloc due to its proximity to Mordialloc Creek as well as on Station Street in Aspendale, with a new road alignment likely to be delivered. 

The removal of the McDonald Street level crossing will enable the nearby Bear Street to be permanently closed so that the rail bridge can return to ground level before the stabling yards near Mordialloc Station, taking out the need to relocate them. 

The level crossings at Armstrongs Road and Station Street in Seaford will also be replaced with a rail bridge. The consideration of a rail trench was precluded because of the proximity of the Kananook Creek in the area. The preferred design option will create opportunities for open space along with cycling and walking connections. 

On the other hand, the preferred design for the removal of the level crossings at Groves Street in Aspendale will be to lower the rail line underneath the road. 

“The level crossing removal along the Frankston Line have made such a difference to traffic congestion in the area and made it safer for road users who no longer have to wait for boom gates. The new stations provide updated facilities to passengers and a more comfortable travel experience,” Member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke said. 

The recent removal of level crossings at Park and Charman roads in Cheltenham and Balcombe Road in Mentone along with the removal of the boom gates at Warringal Road in Mentone and Parkers Road in Parkdale enables the closure of the Latrobe Street level crossing while maintaining the pedestrian crossing. 

“The level crossings we’ve removed in Bentleigh have made a huge difference – better connecting our community and improving safety. It’s great to see these new sites added to the list to deliver even more benefits for our growing community,” Member for Bentleigh Nick Staikos said. 

The final designs for the removal of the level crossings will be released following a consultation with the community and detailed site investigations. 

Removing these dangerous and congested level crossings is critical to allowing more train services to run on the Frankston Line more often, with the opening of Metro Tunnel expected to deliver more capacity on the Line. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build – Level Crossing Removal Project