Sky rail: Reservoir station elevated rail works to start in 2018

A KILOMETRE of elevated rail will be built over High St after the Reservoir level crossing is removed and the station rebuilt, the state government has announced. Here’s what the new precinct will look like.

SKY rail will be built at the Reservoir level crossing as a 1km stretch of rail reaching 9m high.

The decision was announced yesterday by Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, who said the elevated rail would be faster to build, provide flexibility for future upgrades and create more open space.

OPINIONS DIVIDED OVER SKY RAIL

RESIDENTS OVERSHADOWED BY TRACK

It will also create a brand new elevated station at Reservoir and an open plaza to be used as public space.

The site will be the next crossing removed under the State Government’s plan to take out 50 level crossings with site investigation and technical work starting this week.

Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the new station would create a plaza for the public to use.

The minister was joined at the station by Preston state Labor MP Robin Scott and the Level Crossing Removal Authority acting chief executive Matt Gault.

Mr Scott said the removal of the crossing will remove a divide cutting the suburb in half.

“Getting rid of this level crossing is long overdue and will transform the way we live, work and travel around Reservoir for decades to come,” he said.

Mr Gault said the new rail line would be quieter than the existing ground rail because the structure will encompass the train and wheels.

Transport minister Jacinta Allan was joined by Preston state Labor MP Robin Scott to make the announcement.

Reservoir junction is consistently rated among Melbourne’s worst intersections and has about 36,000 vehicles passing through every day.

The boom gates are down for about 20 per cent of peak hour.

The government said no decisions to upgrade the road intersection had been made but pointed to the flexibility created by removing the level crossing.

AN OPPORTUNITY LOST, SAYS COUNCIL

Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf welcomed the announcement after a long campaign for their removal but said an opportunity to fix the intersection had been lost.

“We are disappointed that the State has not included enough funding for much needed improvements to the roads around the station as well. It is just common sense to do all of the required works at the same time,” she said.

The elevated rail will stretch for one kilometre and reach a maximum height of nine metres.

Darebin Council deputy mayor Lina Messina said the infrastructure promise didn’t go far enough.

“We’ve got 50,000 new residents coming into Darebin and where’s the infrastructure? They’ve just dumped a platform on us,” she said.

The crossing works are scheduled to be complete in 2020.

The LXRA is inviting the community to have their say on the look and feel of the new station precinct through an online engagement hub.

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