Andrews flags more level crossing removals may be in works

Daniel Andrews has said level crossing removals will be a feature of his government as long as they remain in power, flagging an expansion of the program could be on the cards.

There will no longer be boomgates along the major Bell St arterial through Melbourne’s north once the level crossing removal is completed. Picture: Hamish Blair

Premier Daniel Andrews has flagged Labor could expand its level crossing removal program even further than the 85 already announced ahead of the looming state election.

He also said level crossings would be a feature of his government as long as they were in power.

It comes as all boomgates on Bell St will be removed after a May building blitz across four sites in Preston.

By the end of May, more than 60 of the government’s level crossing removals will have been completed.

The signature policy has been directly linked to the success of Labor’s 2014 and 2018 election victories, and Mr Andrews hinted this tactic could return before this year’s poll.

By the end of May more than 60 of the government’s level crossing removals will have been completed. Picture: Hamish Blair

When asked about what the state would do once it approached its target of 85 crossings, Mr Andrews said there would “more to say” and that the government needed to keep up the demand it had created with its building boom.

“Victorians are going to have a very clear choice — do we keep building or do we risk it all?” he said.

“It’s not talking about supporting business, it’s actually giving them the work that they desperately want and that they do so very well.

“So yes, we’ll have more to say about all sorts of different projects in the weeks and months to come.

“Level crossings will be a feature of our government for as long as we’re given the great gift of being in government.”

But Mr Andrews would not be drawn on further detail about whether this or other major projects would appear in the budget next month.

“The Treasurer gets very upset if I essentially announce large swathes of the budget without him, so there will be a few things that we will talk about before then,” he said.

There have been 59 level crossing removals completed since the Andrews government came to power, with four more in Preston to be finished in May after a building blitz is completed.

Daniel Andrews says his government will have more to say on a variety of projects in the coming weeks and months. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Once these projects are done, there will no longer be any boomgates along the major Bell St arterial through Melbourne’s north.

Passengers will again be hit with disruptions, with buses replacing trains on parts of the Mernda line from 9pm May 17 until last service May 29.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the Preston projects would create 2km of sky rail that could then free up large swathes of space and reconnect suburbs.

“There’s going to be the wonderful opportunity to create and landscape the three MCG’s worth of open space,” she said.

“Anyone moving across the city knows how busy and congested Bell St has been with the level crossings.”