THE redeveloped Parkdale Station on the Frankston line is now open. Crews have been working since last year to replace the level crossings at Warrigal Road in Mentone and Parkers Road in Parkdale with elevated rail. Last week they removed the Parkers Road boom gates and officially opened the new Parkdale Station. Parkdale Station was reopened at an event last Friday, 2 August. Parkers Road will open to traffic once again on 8 August.
The opening marked the end of nearly three weeks of major disruptions on the Frankston line. Buses replaced trains between Cheltenham and Frankston from 14 July to 31 July while works were ongoing. Bus replacements ran between Moorabbin and Frankston on 31 July and 1 August.
The next major disruption is expected to begin at 8.30pm on Monday 19 August – buses will replace trains between Carrum and Frankston until Wednesday, 28 August. The Stony Point line will also be affected.
Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson said the Parkdale level crossing removal would “connect” the two sides of the suburb. “We thank the community for its patience while we made the Warrigal Road, Mentone and Parkers Road, Parkdale level crossings a thing of the past, opened a brand new Parkdale Station, and connected the suburb previously divided by the rail line,” he said.
Work continues at the station on new lifts and open space underneath the elevated rail line. A new shared use path connecting Parkdale to Cheltenham via Mentone is set to be complete by 2025.
By 2029, the state government hopes to remove all level crossings on the Frankston line. Victorian transport infrastructure minister Danny Pearson said “we’re one step closer to making the Frankston Line level crossing free by 2029 and removing 110 level crossings by 2030, changing the way people live, work and travel.”
