One of Victoria’s most congested level crossings has now been removed, with trains travelling over the new rail bridge for the first time on Easter Monday.
The Toorak Road level crossing is the 35th level crossing to be removed under the state government and it has been removed around six months ahead of schedule.
Crews worked around the clock for nine days in a construction blitz to remove the boom gates, lay new tracks, install wiring and signalling and connect the new rail bridge to the Glen Waverley Line.
Strict protocols are now in place on all Major Transport Infrastructure Authority worksites to protect the health and safety of construction workers and the community, consistent with advice from the Chief Health Officer.
This includes modifying construction activities to allow social distancing and providing extra protection for workers who need to work in proximity for short periods of time. There are also enhanced industrial cleaning and additional hygiene measures in place.
The new rail bridge was constructed using 40 locally manufactured precast concrete L-beams, each up to 30 metres long and weighing up to 128 tonnes.
In further works on Melbourne’s rail network, the Metro Tunnel Project’s first two tunnel boring machines have broken through at South Kensington. The remaining two machines are being assembled at Anzac Station and will be launched in the coming weeks.
Regional Rail Revival teams have also upgraded four level crossings on the Warrnambool line as part of the $114 million Warrnambool line upgrade.
Finally the North East Link project is continuing vital early works, moving and protecting 34 kilometres of gas, water and sewer pipes in preparation for major construction in 2021.
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