Level crossing removals: Craigieburn train line running again after Buckley St works

FRUSTRATED commuters can breathe a sigh of relief this week as trains on the Craigieburn line return to schedule after 17 days of disruption.

FRUSTRATED commuters can breathe a sigh of relief this week as trains on the Craigieburn line return to schedule after 17 days of disruption.

Works to remove the Buckley St level crossing at Essendon station shut down most sections of the Craigieburn line from 8.30pm on August 24 until the last train on Sunday. Buses replaced trains along most sections of the line.

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Commuter Martin Jacobson told the Leader the disruption had been a “nightmare”, which added almost an hour of travel time to his trip each way.

Dahlia Hermes said the alignment of bus replacement services with train schedules had been “terrible”, with commuters waiting up to 20 minutes between services.

Those who opted to use the Upfield railway line complained of squeezing into overcrowded carriages or being forced to wait up to 18 minutes for a less crowded carriage to arrive at the platform.

“A pregnant lady couldn’t even get a seat and was left standing the whole train ride from Melbourne Central to Batman,” Ms Hermes said.

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As a result of the extra commuters, residential streets near stations along the Upfield line were jammed with parked cars.

Upfield resident Connie Diamand said parking in nearby streets had been “an absolute joke”.

“Our streets are full of parked cars, even blocking our driveways, which is making it hard to get out of our homes,” she said.

“I agree that removing dangerous level crossings is a great idea, however, the Government and any other agencies involved in this project need to think of the implications it has on residents and commuters.”

Since 2015, the State Government has removed 27 level crossings and rebuilt 14 train stations in an effort to ease congestion on Victorian roads.

An additional 23 level crossings are scheduled to be removed by 2022.

The $6.6 billion project is the forerunner to a new cross city Melbourne Metro rail tunnel, and has been promoted as saving lives and preventing injuries of drivers and pedestrians making their way across the tracks.

Public Transport Victoria did not respond to the Leader’s questions before deadline.

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