MOBILITY The new station at Coburg featuring elevated rail in place of a level crossing. Image: Victoria’s Big Build.
VICTORIA’S BIG BUILD
WORKING WITH LOCAL COUNCILS TO CREATE ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES By April Shepherd, Editor, Council magazine
Victoria’s Big Build Level Crossing Removal Projects are transforming the wider Melbourne community, with the project team working with local governments such as Moreland City Council to champion mobility and create a more accessible community.
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ictoria’s Big Build is a collection of road and rail projects being undertaken in Melbourne by the Victorian Government, in collaboration with local councils, to make the region’s transport more accessible and mobile, and to cater for the state’s rising population. As a part of the Big Build, the Victorian Government is removing 85 dangerous and congested level crossings from around the city, with all set to be removed by 2025 and 60 already gone. Level crossings are where cars, pedestrians and trains intercept, causing traffic congestion, accidents and unstable pathways.
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Winter 2022 // ISSUE 3
The 60th level crossing was removed at Glenroy Road in the Moreland City Council, located in Melbourne's northern suburbs, by lowering the rail line underneath the road into a trench, and opening a new state-of-the-art premium station which opened to passengers on 6 May. The area also received two new stations at the end of 2020 – Coburg and Moreland – after the level crossings at Bell Street, Munro Street and Reynard Street in Coburg, and Moreland Road in Brunswick were removed and replaced by a 2.5km section of elevated rail. A spokesperson from the Level Crossing Removal Project said the team works closely with councils to remove the level crossings and build new infrastructure across the city.
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