Stations on the Upfield Line to close for three months

A stretch of the Upfield train line will be closed for three months as part of a major project to remove four dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne's inner north.

But commuters bracing for long delays have not yet been told where or when the closure will occur.

At an estimated 93 days, it will be one of the longest shutdown periods since the Level Crossing Removal Project began in 2016.

Minister for Transport Jancinta Allen.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Daniel Bowen, from the Public Transport Users Association, said the closure was an unusually long period of time and would have a significant impact on commuters.

"This shutdown is a lot longer than what you would normally see for level crossing removal projects and you just hope that there is going to be not just enough extra buses running, but also additional staff to assist commuters and extra trams in place, especially along Sydney Road, to cater for those who will ignore the buses altogether and use trams," he said.

Construction of the 2.5-kilometre elevated rail line, which will be up to 11 metres high at some points and stretch from Tinning Street in Brunswick, over Bell Street, to O'Hea Street in Coburg, will start in the second half of next year.

The $542.4 million project will include the removal of level crossings at Bell Street, Munro Street, Reynard Street and Moreland Road and the construction of two new stations at Coburg and Moreland.

A illustration of a dog park under the new Coburg skyrail.

Up to 68,000 vehicles drive through the four level crossings every day, with the boom gates down for a quarter of the morning peak.

There has been at least 24 collisions or near-misses at the crossings, including a fatality at Bell Street, since 2005.

On Sunday morning, Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the government had planned for the project to cause minimal disruption to commuters.

"We've had to do a lot of careful planning as to how we not just remove these level crossings and that's why we've chosen the elevated rail line ... but also a lot of careful planning as to how you get in and out and do the work as quickly as we possibly can," she said.

"So, yes, 93 days is a longer period of time but we can also isolate this section of track to minimise the passengers on the Upfield corridor who will be disrupted."

Stan Wollmering, a local resident, protests the proposed removal of the trees and razing of Gandolfo Park for the level crossing works on the Upfield line, Coburg.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Residents like Stan Wollmering, who climbed a tree at Gandolfo Gardens at Coburg on Sunday morning, have previously raised concerns about the removal of historic trees to make way for the sky rail.

Dozens of trees, some more than a century old, will be removed around Moreland Station to make way for cranes and equipment that will be used during construction.

Level Crossing Removal Authority chief executive Kevin Devlin confirmed on Sunday that several mature trees would be removed but said the authority had worked to minimise the impact on vegetation.

"We know local residents and the community really value the trees, so we do everything we can to minimise it," he said.

"Unfortunately, these are big infrastructure projects that do require us to remove some vegetation, particularly the vegetation and trees that are close to the railway line where we've got to get cranes in.

"However, we think we've got a methodology that minimises it ... and we're doing mass planting that will be a great asset for the community in the years to come."

Ms Allan announced the multimillion-dollar project had been awarded to an alliance of John Holland Group, Kellogg Brown & Root and Metro Trains, which had removed six level crossings already and built Frankston station.

The team is also removing the level crossing at High Street, Reservoir, and building the new Reservoir station.

Ms Allan would not be drawn, however, on how many homes would be voluntarily acquired as part of the project.

The state government is opening a "voluntary purchase scheme" to homes that will be most affected by the sky rail.

"We're continuing to work through that ... we don't have a final number just yet," she said.

The state government has previously insisted no houses will be compulsorily acquired.