Frankston line to see multiple shutdowns as more level crossings are set to go in 2020
Since late 2019, preparatory works for the level crossing removals at Cheltenham and Mentone have been underway, and the Victorian Government has now provided a timeline for further shutdowns to the Frankston line that will see the completion of 6 level crossing removals in 2020.
The preparatory works on rail trenches that will be dug under Park and Charman Roads in Cheltenham, as well as Balcombe Road in Mentone, will ramp up with services on the Frankston line to be replaced by buses between Frankston and Moorabbin between the 2nd and 16th of February.
During the same shutdown period, the level crossing at Carrum will be removed with the new elevated station and rebuilt elevated railway to open to passengers on the 17th of February.
Mentone Station will be closed in late March, and from mid-April, Cheltenham station will be closed with Frankston trains all running express through both stations until a major shutdown that will begin mid-May and run for two months until mid-July.
During the shutdown between mid-May and mid-July, buses will replace trains between Moorabbin and Mordialloc to allow for the completion of rail trenches as well as new Cheltenham and Menton stations.
The Victorian Government says that when services resume running after mid-July, the crossings will be removed and new stations will open shortly after. The government expects finishing works to continue right through to early 2021.
Cheltenham station hosts a third platform that will be rebuilt as part of the level crossing removal project, and according to the broader network enhancements in the Melbourne Metro business case, the station will see a more considerable amount of terminating services.
When the Melbourne Metro tunnel opens, and the Pakenham/Cranbourne and Sunbury lines are diverted through it, the Frankston line will get exclusive use of the existing Caulfield loop. This change will allow for an increase of services, including terminating some services at stations like Cheltenham in order to provide capacity in areas where there will be demand for them.
Cheltenham will also host the southernmost station on the Suburban Rail Loop. The business case and reference design are underway, however, late last year the Victorian Government confirmed the Suburban Rail Loop will be an operationally-independent railway and the first phase will be built from Cheltenham to Box Hill.
As part of the broader Level Crossing Removal Project, the Frankston line will see 18 level crossings removed (5 are already completed), 12 station rebuilds with a price tag of $3 billion.
Cheltenham, and to a lesser extent Menton, are no stranger to higher-density development. Cheltenham, in particular, has a robust pipeline of projects across all the main statuses Urban tracks.
Residential projects vary in size, from a handful of apartments up to over 150 apartments in projects such as the recently completed Village Cheltenham.
Kingston Council updated the structure plan for Cheltenham in 2018, prior to the Victorian Government unveiling the Suburban Rail Loop project.