The Werribee Street level crossing, destined to be used by only a few trains a day from June, will remain on the state government’s hit-list of 50 to be removed, putting it ahead of significantly busier crossings in the area, including Old Geelong Road in Hoppers Crossing.
The Cherry and Werribee streets level crossings are among the 50 the state government has promised to remove in eight years, but Werribee Street will become one of Melbourne’s quietest for train traffic with the expected mid-year opening of the Regional Rail Link.
Currently used mostly by V/Line trains running between Geelong and Melbourne, the crossing will soon carry just a handful of freight trains each day as well as the four-times-weekly Melbourne-Adelaide train.
The impending sharp drop-off in train traffic has prompted a call from the Public Transport Users Association for Labor to cut the crossing from its list.
Spokesman Daniel Bowen said it was clear the government should swap the Werribee Street removal for another, busier crossing.
“Removing a crossing that after April will have very few trains running through it is obviously not a priority,” he said.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said Werribee Street would stay on Labor’s list.
“Even once Geelong line services move on to the new alignment, freight and interstate services will continue to thunder through the crossing, keeping boom gates down, creating traffic chaos and continuing to pose a risk to the community,” she said.
“This problem will not go away until the level crossing is removed once and for all.”
