Melburnians rely heavily on the train network of their city. This is simply because of two reasons: the city is huge and because the train network is flung far and wide, quite like a net. But these days, both the train network as well as its users are going through rigmarole.
The ongoing upgrade and construction work across the train network of Melbourne has created a headache for commuters. At some sites, the work is being undertaken 24 hours a day to try and complete it faster.
In 2015, the Victorian Government took up the upgrade work of Melbourne’s train network. For this, the Level Crossing Removal Authority was constituted which is the biggest rail infrastructure project in Victoria's history.
The expected outcome of this mammoth project is to remove level crossings on the rail lines. There are 50 such crossings on Melbourne’s rail network which are considered dangerous. The Level Crossing Removal Authority intends to remove them completely by 2022. Along with that, 20 new train stations are sought to be constructed, existing ones upgraded and new rail tracks to be laid out.
In the last nearly two-and-a-half years, 19 level crossings have been removed and work is underway on 10. Along with this, 11 train stations are being reconstructed. By the end of this year, 28 level crossings will be removed. Out of the 50 level crossings that the Level Crossing Removal Authority intends to remove, work is underway on 35.
Before each level crossing can be removed, that site has to pass through four stages: planning, construction, boom gate removal and completion of project works. This is a long and tedious task that tests everyone’s patience and more often than not, deadlines are not met.
It’s not just the government that is facing difficulties while undertaking such a gigantic project. Commuters are needing to rescheduling their lives around disruption from the construction work. Between many stations, buses have replaced trains, making the journey much longer, with many commuters now doubling or even tripling their usual travel time.
While the upgrades have been completed at Blackburn, Glen Iris, Campbellfield, St. Albans, Bayswater and Ormond stations, the Hurstbridge Line has missed its deadline.
Among the lines still far from completion is Annie Singh's train line, Pakenham. The Sandown Park resident needs to travel into the CBD every day for work.
"My day starts with a lot of hassle and inconvenience. My commute has increased by 45 minutes to an hour, one way. I have to reach office by 9.30 am. On days when you have to reach early for a meeting, it gets worse," she told SBS Punjabi.
"I had to reach by 9am one day, so I took an Uber. I was shocked to see that it cost me much more than what I would earn in an hour! On my way back home, it was a struggle again.
"I used to reach home by 7pm and have dinner by 7.30pm. Now, I can’t reach home before 8pm. It’s cold and often rainy at night these days in Melbourne. So walking in the alleyways also poses a safety hazard to me. Overall, I think working from home is an option to consider till the trains are back to normal.”
Nikita, who resides in Endeavour Hills and travels on the Cranbourne Line, has a similar story.
“I’m a student and do casual work over the weekend in the City. The normal journal used to be 45 minutes long but now it has doubled," she said, before adding, "But, I think we are part of Melbourne’s transformation. So it’s all a part of the journey".
There are hopefully some positives to come from the current inconveniences. The Level Crossing Removal Authority states on its website that with the removal of the Caulfield-to-Dandenong level crossing, vacant space a dozen times the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is expected to open up, giving the city one of the largest parklands ever.
The next upgrade work will be undertaken on the Craigieburn Line, which is located in one of Melbourne’s fastest growing suburbs. The Level Crossing Removal Authority has informed citizens on its website that this line will remain affected between June 21 and 27.
Gautam Garg, a resident of Craigieburn, is among those bracing for the change.
“We hope the government gives adequate facilities to people during this upgrade. Work has taken far too long on the Cranbourne and Pakenham Lines. Life is busy in Melbourne, as we know. We have to drop our children off to school and then rush to work," he said.
"Those in Craigieburn will now have to plan ahead and take a leaf from those on the Cranbourne and Pakenham Lines. But if this work gets completed in a week’s time, as is being said right now, it’ll be a great achievement for the government. I’m sceptical, though but looking forward to the outcome.”
The Level Crossing Removal Authority is hoping to complete the task by 2022.
