Important changes to public transport travel in Thomastown are coming in the next few weeks as another dangerous level crossing is getting removed.
The level crossing at Keon Parade will be gone before you know it, as the new Keon Park Station will also open up in June.
Buses will replace trains on sections of the Mernda Line from 9pm Tuesday, April 30 to the last service on Tuesday, May 7.
Trains will begin running on the new bridge on Wednesday, May 8, but will not stop at Keon Park Station while works continue on the new station.
A shuttle bus will run between Ruthven and Thomastown to connect passengers with trains.
Works will continue at the new station over the next few months, including installing lifts and stairs, reinstating more than 160 car spaces and planting more than 45,000 trees, shrubs and grasses across the station precinct.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson said the removal of the level crossing will be worth the temporary disruptions to commuters.
“We’re getting on with making Melbourne’s north an even better place to live by removing dangerous level crossings, reducing congestion and building new station.,” he said.
When the new station opens, it will give passengers improved connections between bus and train services – while also giving locals a new link to the Johnson Street shops.
As crews remove boom gates and resurface roads, Keon Parade will be closed at the level crossing from midnight Monday, April 29 to 6am Monday, May 20 and sections of the Keon Parade, Mahoneys Road and High Street intersection will be closed overnight on Saturday 11 and Sunday, May 12.
With the level crossing gone, Keon Parade will open on Monday, May 20.
The project will reduce congestion for more than 18,000 vehicles travelling through this level crossing each weekday, with boom gates down for more than 41 minutes during the morning peak.
The Labor Government is removing 110 dangerous and congested level crossings by 2030, with 75 already gone for good.
