Eight level crossings will be gone for good this spring – the most ever removed in a three-month period – while six new stations will open by November and two major road upgrades finished.

By the end of spring, 55 dangerous and congested level crossing will have been removed from across Melbourne –well on the way to removing 85 by 2025. There will be major work on 12 rail lines, as crews continue to upgrade and maintain the network to deliver more reliable and frequent services for passengers.

In the west, works are underway to remove the Williamstown level crossing by lowering the rail line under the road.  The crossing is used by 25,000 vehicles and 110 trains each day.

Buses will continue to replace trains on the Williamstown line until 12 November. A 30-day blitz on the West Gate Freeway will see crews working from 17 September to add extra lanes and upgrade freeway ramps.

In the north and north east, the M80 Ring Road Upgrade will close the Edgars Road Altona-bound entry ramp for six weeks in late September as crews complete the connection to the new elevated ramps.

The upgraded M80 will connect to the North East Link and a revamped Eastern Freeway, slashing travel time by up to 35 minutes. Works will include relocating underground services and starting construction on the Bulleen Park and Ride, Melbourne’s first dedicated busway.

The O’Herns Road and Plenty Road upgrades will be completed during the blitz, while in the south east the new Mordialloc Freeway is on track to open to traffic by the end of year. On the Monash Freeway, asphalting and road resurfacing works will continue, ahead of 36 kilometres of new lanes opening in 2022.

On the Frankston line, five level crossings will be removed by November – boosting safety and easing congestion for bayside suburbs – and new stations will open at Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach.

On the Lilydale line, Lilydale and Mooroolbark will removed and two new train stations will open by 25 October.

Melbourne’s tram network transformation will continue in the east with the replacement of tracks, poles and over-head wiring along High Street in Kew. Buses will replace sections of routes 48 and 109 for two weeks in September.

Victorians travelling for one of the five permitted reasons should allow extra time during these works. Public transport passengers are reminded to wear a mask every time they leave home, including on replacement buses.

QR codes have been rolled out across the public transport network to keep passengers safe and support the Department of Health’s contact tracing efforts. Victoria’s Big Build projects are critical state infrastructure projects under current restrictions and work continues safely with strict COVIDSafe Plans in place.

For more information about planned disruptions during spring visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au.