Two more level crossings have been removed and the new Clayton Station has been opened to the public after weeks of intensive work in Melbourne’s south-east.
The new elevated Clayton Station opened to commuters on Monday. Among its features are dedicated interchanges for buses, bikes and taxis, as well as 86 additional car parks.
The construction of the station above the road has allowed the removal of Centre Road and Clayton Road level crossings on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line, both of which caused significant traffic congestion during peak hours.
“This brings us another massive step closer to achieving exactly what we said we would – getting rid of every single level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong,” state transport minister Jacinta Allan said.
Clayton Road’s boom gates were often down for 82 minutes in the two-hour morning peak. Located just 550 metres from Monash Hospital, ambulances were often held up waiting for trains to pass.
“It’s simply not okay to have ambulances regularly waiting at boom gates for five or ten minutes at a stretch – yet this is exactly what has happened at this crossing for decades,” Allan said.
“We thank passengers for their patience during these disruptions – but without action now, the congestion would continue to grow and our network would grind to a halt.”
A total of 9 level crossings will eventually be removed and 5 stations constructed as part of the government’s Caulfield-Dandenong project.
Noble Park station has been opened alongside the first 1.5 kilometre stretch of elevated rail, which has eliminated three level crossings already. The remaining level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong will be removed by the end of the year.
The relieving of traffic congestion in the South East is one of the best road infrastructure improvements in decades. However the congestion on the South East rail line will continue to be exacerbated by the fact that there are only two tracks on Victoria’s busiest rail corridor. Great for road traffic but a very poor outcome for outer suburban/country rail travelers who will never experience an express run through the sprawling South Eastern suburbs. It was an opportunity missed.