Australia’s Victorian Government has awarded a A$524m contract to a consortium of John Holland and KBR to remove the first four level crossings in south-east Melbourne.
The contract is part of a commitment by the government to remove 50 of the city’s busiest and most dangerous level crossings.
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Under the deal, the consortium will remove the level crossings and rebuild stations at Centre Road in Bentleigh, North Road in Ormond, McKinnon Road in McKinnon and Burke Road in Glen Iris.
As part of the project, the rail line will be lowered under the road at each location, while Bentleigh, Ormond, McKinnon and Gardiner stations will be rebuilt to provide street level access down to the platforms.
Premier Daniel Andrews said: "These level crossings frustrate motorists, hold back our train system and put lives at risk every day.
"The only way to fix them is to get rid of them, and we’re getting on with it.
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By GlobalData"We’ve awarded the contract for the first four crossings. Works will start within weeks and in a few years they’ll be gone."
Work of the four level crossing removals and station rebuilds will be delivered sooner with less disruption.
Construction work is set to get underway shortly on the Burke Road crossing, where significant community consultation has already taken place.
Victoria public transport Minister Jacinta Allan said: "Delivering the works at the four sites as one package means safer roads, better stations and more trains sooner, with less disruption.
"The new stations will be safer, more accessible and easier to get to, with better connections to trams and buses."
The projects will create more than 350 jobs and is expected to be completed by 2018.
