Industry Infrastructure, Level Crossing Removal, Rail industry news (Australia, New Zealand), State

Construction ramps up at Croydon level crossing

Victoria’s mountain of work continues in Croydon as construction ramps up to remove the Coolstore Road level crossing and build the new Croydon Station and transport hub.

Earlier this year we farewelled the old Croydon Station, removing almost 1200 tonnes of material following the station and building demolition activities.

Work has already begun to assemble the new Croydon Station, which will open to the community by spring, with three of six station buildings already delivered and positioned into place.

Crews have already completed 22 of 28 monopiles that will form the foundations of the new 687m-long rail bridge. Different from traditional bridge foundations, which consist of a cluster of smaller piles joined with a concrete top or ‘pile cap’, a monopile is a single larger pile without a cap.

The construction team has also completed eight of 20 abutment piles, used to support the bridge span where it lowers down to ground level.

As the new rail bridge takes shape, crews have poured eight of the 21 crossheads that will sit on top of the bridge piers and support the concrete U-trough that trains will run through.

In the coming months, 12 Super T-beams will be installed to support the new station platforms and the concrete U-trough. The U-trough will be built from 88 L-beams, craned in 2 at a time and ‘stitched’ together to form the U-shape.

The Lilydale Line will be the first line level crossing free, with the remaining three sets of boom gates gone in 2024 – a year ahead of schedule.