Vicroads | 9 In January, the Premier Denis Napthine opened the new premium station located on Mitcham Road, Mitcham. The unveiling marked a significant milestone in the $197 million Mitcham Level Crossing Removal Project, which included two level crossing removals on Mitcham Road and Rooks Road. Both level crossings were removed by constructing the railway lines under the existing road. This project will result in better traffic flow and improved safety for the 25,500 commuters that travel down Mitcham Road or Rooks Road each day, and greater connectivity with other transport modes. In addition, an impressive new station has been welcomed by the thousands of passengers that travel on the 200 trains that pass through Mitcham station each and every day. As a premium station, it is staffed around the clock and now includes a new bus interchange, car parking for 800 vehicles, first-class bicycle facilities, a public waiting room and other amenities including retail. Meanwhile, work is on track to remove the level crossing on Springvale Road, Springvale. Major excavation has seen a tunnel cut under the road to a depth of 6.5 metres to accommodate the rail line. A new premium station is also under development and other works include improved bus, taxi and parking facilities, as well as bicycle and pedestrian amenities. Expected to be complete 2014, the $159 million Springvale project will significantly ease congestion on a key arterial route in Melbourne’s South East. This is great news for the more than 8,000 vehicles and 80 trains currently travelling through the rail crossing during peak periods every day More broadly, planning and preconstruction activities for level crossing removals are underway at North Road, Ormond; Blackburn Road, Blackburn; Main Road, St Albans; Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road, Bayswater; and Burke Road, Glen Iris. UP CLOSE – MITCHAM LEVEL CROSSING REMOVAL PROJECT • More than 250 people worked 24/7 for three weeks in January during the shutdown of the Belgrave-Lilydale railway line, in extreme weather conditions • $1 million invested in construction each day • A rail tunnel eight metres deep was constructed along with 1.8 kilometres of track to slope gradually into and out of the tunnel • Around 95,000m3 of earth was excavated
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