New station canopy and escalators appear at Noble Park
It's similar to when a new high-rise building progresses beyond ground levels and reaches a point where the new facade starts to appear - the 'will it look like the renders?' questions can start to be answered.
At Noble Park, where the new elevated station is being constructed adjacent to the existing railway station, the first piece of the distinct canopy which is a feature of all five new stations in the Dandenong corridor has appeared on site and fixed in position. Escalators have also appeared.
Until this point, the most visible signs of work have primarily involved the construction of the elevated track, now we're getting down to the business end with the new stations appearing.
2.8 kilometres of beams have now been installed, completing two of the three elevated sections of new elevated track as part of the 'CD9' - Caulfield-Dandenong 9 - level crossing removal programme.
The last beam was hoisted into place last week in Clayton with the Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) documenting the event on its facebook page.
The LXRA has confirmed the intersection of Heatherton Road and Memorial Drive & Mons Parade will be signalised.
The existing pedestrian crossing will be moved and integrated with the new intersection, complete with dedicated bike signals.
Project director Brett Summers said "the bigger picture is that at the end of this project there will be a new 17-kilometre walking and cycling trail stretching all the way from Yarraman to Caulfield. With that in mind we want to make it as easy as possible for people to head off that trail and have safe, direct access to the skate park and nearby residential areas."
Exact opening times are not set in stone as yet, however, a spokesperson for the Level Crossing Removal Authority confirmed there will likely be a staggered commissioning of the new elevated track and new stations.
By the looks of things, it's a safe bet Noble Park will be the first cab off the rank in the Caulfield-Dandenong corridor.
