New station plans unveiled for Mentone, Cheltenham

Designs for new stations at Mentone and Cheltenham have been revealed with a section of the Frankston train line headed for a two-month shutdown. See the designs.

A section of Frankston train line will be shut down for two months next year, as a trio of level crossings at Mentone and Cheltenham are removed.

Designs for new Mentone and Cheltenham railway stations were released today ahead of the major shutdown to move the tracks underground.

The plans show the heritage-listed stations will undergo a major overhaul, with a spacious forecourt to be built at Cheltenham.

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At Mentone, a new “garden bridge” will be built over the Balcombe Rd rail trench with the station’s five protected trees to remain.

Early works are already underway, with construction on the new stations and work to lower the rail line underground to begin in the middle of this year.

Designs for the new Cheltenham Station entrance. Picture: Supplied

Cheltenham station will be overhauled as part of the level crossing removals. Picture: Supplied

A blitz next year will then excavate the trenches and remove all three level crossings — at Park and Charman roads in Cheltenham and Balcombe Road in Mentone — at once.

A third track will also be built at Cheltenham to allow for more trains.

The works will shut the rail line in those sections for two months, with other weekend closures outside that eight-week period.

Level Crossing Removal Authority chief executive Kevin Devlin said a year of planning would be done to ensure the “massive undertaking” could be completed within the two-month shutdown.

“The construction teams are now ready and planning, doing the final design work,” he said.

“It is an extremely intensive phase but the teams have runs on the board in terms recent North McKinnon Centre level crossing removals.

“That was very similar trenching work done over a very short period of time.”

Mentone station will also be revamped. Picture: Supplied

Cheltenham Station from above. Picture: Supplied

Twenty-nine level crossings have already been removed across Victoria, with another 46 on the agenda.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the “relics of the past” at Mentone and Cheltenham held up about 38,000 vehicles a day.

“We do need to get on and remove these dangerous and congested level crossings as quickly as possible,” she said.

“Already there has been work that has been done with local business operators, local traders, the local school community as well … preparing them for this disruption.

“We do apologise for the disruption … the alternative is to not do these works or see them done over a much, much longer period of time.”

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