Level crossing removals across along the Melton and Sunbury lines are being fast-tracked by the state government to ease congestion and cut travel times sooner.
The state government has removed 70 level crossings and with the program more than a year ahead of schedule, the next crossing removals are being brought forward.
On the Melton line, four level crossings will be removed by 2026 which will pave the way for more train services with 50 per cent more capacity along the line.
The removal of the crossings, will result in Melton to be boom gate-free two years ahead of schedule, with a new Melton station also being built to allow nine-car VLocity trains to run along the corridor by 2028.
The boom gates will be removed at Coburns Road, Exford Road and Ferris Road in Melton, and at Hopkins Road in Truganina which 73,000 vehicles travel on each day, with the gates currently down up o 28 minutes in the morning peak as 16 trains pass along the corridor.
On the Sunbury line, crossings at the Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road in Diggers Rest are also being fast-tracked, with road bridges to be built at both locations by 2025, a year earlier than planned.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the government is focused on getting Victorians where they need to be, by car and by train, even faster than the government promised.
