The State Government has unveiled plans to remove Lilydale’s Maroondah Highway level crossing.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan joined Monbulk MP James Merlino to reveal designs for the project, as well as those for Manchester Road in Mooroolbark, on Monday 5 August.
They included new elevated stations and up to 450 new and upgraded car parking spaces at Mooroolbark.
At Lilydale, the station and bus interchange will be relocated to better integrate with the town centre.
Walking and cycling connections will be improved between the town centre, new station and the Lilydale-Warburton Trail.
“Removing these level crossings and building two new stations will make a huge difference for Lilydale and Mooroolbark,” Mr Merlino said.
More than 53,000 vehicles use the two crossings each day, where the boom gates can be down for up to a quarter of the morning peak.
There have been 13 crashes at the two sites in the past decade, including one fatal.
Ms Allan and Mr Merlino said the preferred designs were up to 18 months quicker to build than lowering the rail line into a trench.
They said this would mean less impact on residents, traders and transport users.
Lowering the line would also mean extensive land acquisition, more trees lost, relocating major underground services and an increased flood risk.
“These rail bridges and state of the art stations will transform these communities – reducing congestion, boosting safety and making it easier to get to and from the train,” Ms Allan said.
The project will be complete in 2022 and will lay the ground work for further line upgrades, including duplicating sections of the Lilydale line and a potential new station between Mooroolbark and Lilydale.
