Daniel Andrews: no skyrail for Surrey Hills, Mont Albert

Just days after claiming the once blue-ribbon seat of Box Hill, Premier Daniel Andrews has promised there will be no skyrail in leafy Surrey Hills and Mont Albert.

The train line will run under Union Rd. Picture: Josie Hayden

Fresh from his landslide state election win, and with his infrastructure mandate roundly endorsed, Premier Daniel Andrews has promised there will be no skyrail in leafy Surrey Hills and Mont Albert.

Instead, both level crossings — which he promised to remove in his election campaign — will have the rail pass under the road.

“At the top of the list of things that need to be done is the removal of the two level crossings,” Mr Andrews said.

“This will be a real priority for us to get on with.”

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Just days after claiming the traditionally blue-riband seat, he confirmed new train stations would be built at Surrey Hills and Mont Albert, while the train line will be lowered to run under Union and Mont Albert roads.

“So they’ll be a trench, if you like.”

“The rail line is going down — we will essentially cut through the hill.”

He said the Level Crossing Removal Authority would “engage with the community” and talk to traders and residents about the design for the upgrade, as it had done for previous crossing removals.

The train line will run under Union Rd. Picture: Josie Hayden

Mr Andrews said the double-fatality at the Union Rd boom gates in 2016 was a strong motivator in bringing about the change, as well as the congestion being caused for commuters.

About 22,000 vehicles cross the train tracks in Surrey Hills and Mont Albert everyday, where boomgates can be down for 40 per cent of the time from 7 to 9am, according to VicRoads data.

But the Premier was unable to provide a timeline for the projects, with the two crossings among 25 the Andrews Government has promised to remove by 2025.

“The sequencing is not quite finalised,” he said.

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“But we won’t waste any time on these.”

Mr Andrews also responded to Whitehorse Leader’s questions about his pledge to remove the dry area laws covering Box Hill, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills.

While Whitehorse Leader reported Whitehorse Business Group, Whitehorse Council and Boroondara Council thought the affected community needed to be involved in the decision, Mr Andrews said the laws will be changed.

“We’ve made a commitment,” he said.