Level-crossing removals: learning from Melbourne’s experience

Overview

The Victorian state government has committed to removing 50 level crossings in two terms of office: a faster rate of removal than in any other period in the history of railways in Melbourne.

This research project aims to deepen understanding of the issues involved in level crossing removals so that when proposals for specific locations are considered, professional, government and industry stakeholders as well as the community can participate in a more informed way.

Background

The project is part of on-going investigations of public transport futures for Melbourne. Our work helps to build understandings of the technical and operational requirements for effective public transport networks into contemporary architectural and urban design processes. Since, 2005, this work has been supported by Australian Research Council grants and by industry partners in state and local government.

Through the Transit for All project, funded by the University of Melbourne’s Carlton Connect Initiative and our industry partners, student designs for new stations across the Melbourne suburban rail network were used to stimulate critical debate among the public and private sector networks of professionals responsible for much of Melbourne’s recent work on new stations and level-crossing removals.

We began that project with an agnostic position on the relative merits of rail-under or rail-over options for level-crossing removals. However, after reviewing the work produced over three iterations of our design-research process, it became clear that elevated rail had some distinct advantages over the typical ‘trenched-rail’ designs being constructed around Melbourne.

Learning from Melbourne’s experience

Our new report describes the potential benefits of elevated rail options for level-crossing removals that go beyond the government’s primary aims of improving safety and reducing traffic congestion.

These benefits include:

• Greater potential for multi-scale economic and social development related to increased activity around stations.
• Restoration of rail’s prominent position in the urban fabric.
• Creation of linear parks and connected quiet streets for safer walking and cycling.
• Opportunities for the fundamental re-organisation of Melbourne’s bus system and its connection to the rail network.
• Improved passenger experience, views and wayfinding.

Realising these benefits depends on the design quality of each level-crossing removal project. We demonstrate this by assessing eleven different level-crossing removals built in Melbourne over the last hundred years.

Through this analysis, we have come up with a set of criteria by which planners, politicians and members of the community can assess any new proposal for level-crossing removals.

Download the report

The Benefits of Level Crossing Removals: Lessons from Melbourne's historical experience

Level Crossing Removals in the news

• The Age, 8 February 2016 Melbourne sky rail many questions remain about Andrews government plan
• The Age, 11 January 2016 Elevated rail could run through Melbourne's south- east in level crossing project
• The Age, 11 February 2016 Less and eyesore than an eye opener, Sky Rail would open more Melbourne to the world
• The Age, 16 February 2016 Sky rail: Premier Andrews stands by consultation process in face of anger
• The Conversation, 23 February 2016, The ‘sky rail’ saga: can big new transport projects ever run smoothly?
• Architecture AU, 23 February 2016, Rail lines over roads can help with more than just traffic jams
• The Age, 31 January 2016, End of the line for older Melbourne stations being torn down and rebuilt