Hallam Station has become the latest to receive the Level Crossing Removal Project makeover, with the new station officially reopening to passengers on Monday 2 May.
The station includes a new forecourt, improved parking, safer pedestrian and cycling links through the station precinct, and a new entrance on the western side of Hallam Road.
The opening follows the removal of the dangerous and congested Hallam Road level crossing in early April, with a new elevated rail bridge carrying trains over the road.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the investment in transport services is changing the way people live in the South East.
“Hallam residents will have access to a world class station precinct, with safer entrances, a new forecourt, longer platforms for High-Capacity Trains and once the Metro Tunnel is complete,” Ms Allan said.
Finishing works will continue over the coming months, which will include the completion of a second entrance on the eastern side of Hallam Road.
The longer platforms at the new Hallam Station have been built to accommodate High-Capacity Trains being rolled out on the Pakenham Line to provide more room for passengers.
The former level crossing was the site of 14 near misses in the past 10 years, 11 involving pedestrians and three involving vehicles, and its removal marks a huge boost in safety for the community, the State Government said.
Member for Narre Warren South Gary Maas welcomed the upgrade.
“The new state-of-the-art Hallam Station provides a safer connection across Hallam Road making it easier for locals to catch the train and get to where they need to go,” he said.
It is just one part of a series of major infrastructure upgrades to create better arterial connections between Carrum, Cranbourne and Berwick, including other level crossing removals as well as intersection and road upgrades at Hallam Road, Evans Road, Thompsons Road, and the South Gippsland Highway.
The State Government has invested $15 billion in removing every level crossing on the Pakenham Line.
59 level crossings have been removed already, with 85 to be removed by 2025.
