Full list: The 26 new sky rail projects coming to Melbourne suburbs

More than half of the 110 level crossings removals in Victoria include sections of sky rail – but there’s concern some intersections are being snubbed.

More than half of the 110 level crossings removals finished or planned by the Andrews Government include sections of sky rail.

The preferred mode of eliminating dangerous crossings across Victoria has clearly shifted to elevating rail over road, with 56 projects using that method to separate the state’s transport networks.

The next most popular method is to lower rail lines into trenches under roads, which has occurred or will occur 28 times.

Dozens of crossing removals were announced by the Andrews Government prior to November’s election, with the promise of some rail lines becoming level crossing free by the end of the decade.

Sky rail concept art, Cheltenham after. Provided exclusively to Leader by Simon Johnson, noskyrail.com.au

An analysis of the Level Crossing Removal Project website shows that 26 new grade separations being planned are set to elevate train tracks, including at eight crossings on the Upfield line in Brunswick and Parkville, as well as eight along the Frankston line.

The Andrews Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project says this method helps keep train lines open while infrastructure is built, and that it allows several crossings to be bundled together into one package – which is cheaper for taxpayers.

But concerns have been raised that some notoriously dangerous intersections are being snubbed or put in the too-hard basket as a result of the selection criteria being used.

One rail line in Melbourne’s south – the Sandringham line – has not had a single crossing tackled out of 110 crossings booked for removal since 2015.

A list of hazardous crossings released in 2008 using a national risk model also shows several in the top 30 are not on the government’s project list.

The Noble Park Sky rail. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Wayne Taylor

An analysis by Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen of the state’s worst crossings shows Macaulay Rd in Kensington, on the Craigieburn line, was the ninth most risky crossing on the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model rankings but has been ignored.

He said the Riversdale Rd crossing in Camberwell was also snubbed despite being ranked highly, and the Alamein line had no crossings selected for removal in the government’s 110.

“They might be complicated but they (the government) have already done some complicated projects and these are probably the most dangerous ones left … you really hope they are looking at possible solutions,” he said.

Mr Bowen said it was surprising the Sandringham line had been untouched by the LXRP.

“Once the Metro Tunnel opens the line would be linked to the Werribee and Williamstown lines and we might see those boom gates down for much longer,” he said.

The state Level Crossing Removal Project has defended the government’s grade separation priorities, saying the ALCAM list is outdated and that a number of selection criteria were used including traffic volumes, areas that divide communities, safety, and the opportunity to “increase investment efficiency” by bundling removals together in one job.

It said boom gates on the Sandringham line have “relatively lower down time and traffic volumes compared to the average across the network” and that “the majority of them are also extremely complex to remove with limited opportunity for efficiency”.

Sky rail stations works at Carrum

LXRP chief executive Kevin Devlin said: “We prioritise level crossing removal sites that have a record of safety incidents, sites where busy train lines and roads cause the most congestion, and crossings that divide communities and limit locals’ access to services”.

“We’ve removed 67 dangerous and congested level crossings since 2015, more than a year ahead of schedule – and we’re well on the way to getting rid of 110 level crossings and building more than 50 new stations by 2030.”

He said elevated rail delivered open space under tracks for communities across Melbourne to enjoy, including shared use paths, playgrounds, basketball courts, and barbecue areas.

For the 110 planned or delivered level crossing removals, 56 are being built by elevating rail over road, 28 are rail trenches under roads, 18 are roads built over rail, and 6 are roads built under rail lines, while others are done by closing roads.