Pain ahead for Frankston line commuters as rail blitz details revealed
Frankston line commuters will face two months of disruption during a construction blitz next year as two stations are built and three level crossings removed.
The $536 million project will see new stations at Mentone and Cheltenham and level crossings removed at Park Road and Charman Road in Cheltenham and Balcombe Road in Mentone by late 2020.
The government is avoiding the controversial sky rail option and will instead lower the line into a trench to improve traffic flows through the crossings, which have a total of 38,000 vehicles driving through them every day.
The building work will start in the middle of next year and shutdowns will be spread over an 18-month period.
A third rail line at Cheltenham station is currently a dead end, but will be connected to Frankston-bound tracks to allow for more frequent services between the city and Frankston.
A new "garden bridge" will be built over the sunken railway lines at Mentone station to connect the two platforms of the existing station, while the new Cheltenham station will have a plaza connecting Cheltenham Park with the local shops.
More than three kilometres of walking and cycling will also be created.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan acknowledged that commuters on the busy Frankston line would face months of replacement bus services but insisted that the level crossings were "relics of the past" and needed to be removed.
"It is viewed that the best way to do the bulk of the work is to get in there over a two-month period and work around the clock to remove the crossings as soon as possible," Ms Allan said.
"While we recognise that it will cause disruption during that period of time, this is the best way to get on and remove those level crossings."
Five of eight level crossings set for removal on the Frankston line have been completed as part of $3 billion worth of works along the politically-sensitive line.
Weeks ahead of the election last year, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that he would remove 25 extra level crossings by 2025, bringing the total number of level crossing removals to 75.
Both Mentone and Cheltenham stations are heritage-listed and the government has assured locals that the buildings would be incorporated into the new design.
The main station building at Mentone will remain in its current position, which means that during the rebuild, the railway lines will be moved away from the building and the platforms moved further south.
The historic Cheltenham station buildings will be relocated and repurposed to make way for the new station.