Hobsons Bay’s deputy mayor has questioned the decision to fast-track removal of the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing in Altona given that it’s 151st on the Department of Transport’s priority list.
The boomgates are down for a total of 11 minutes in the two-hour morning peak, but the crossing has been fast-tracked for removal by 2019 as part of the state government’s $6 billion level crossing removal project.
Two other Hobsons Bay crossings – at Aviation Road, Laverton, and Ferguson Street, Williamstown – are earmarked for later removal even though they are 16th and 21st on the priority list.
Some crossings not even earmarked for removal also rank higher.
They include Maidstone Street, Altona (47th priority); Champion Road, Newport (99th); Maidstone Street South, Altona (109th); and Maddox Road, Newport (130th).
In its formal position statement on the level crossing removals, the council states: “The basis for prioritisation of particular sites is not clear.”
Deputy mayor Sandra Wilson told last week’s council meeting the removal of the Kororoit Creek Road crossing could only be justified by duplicating the Altona loop railway line while the train service was shut down for three months to do the work.
The single-track Altona loop is one of the Metro network’s biggest bottlenecks, but the Level Crossing Removal Authority has said it will not be duplicated during the level crossing removal.
Trains run every 22 minutes in peak times and every 20 minutes off-peak.
“We don’t understand why it [the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing] was chosen,” Cr Wilson said.
“It’s 151 on the list, it’s not dangerous per se, it’s not congested.”
Cr Wilson said the only way to justify removing the level crossing was if the Altona loop was duplicated so trains could run every 10 minutes.
The Level Crossing Removal Authority did not say why it had prioritised the Kororoit Creek Road crossing for removal over higher-ranking crossings in Hobsons Bay.
Project director Tony Hedley said the authority was established to remove the 50 level crossings earmarked by the state government as an election promise, and community consultation would start early next year on the removal of crossings at Ferguson Street and Aviation Road.
