The Sunbury line is now boom gate free.
The last three sets of boom gates have been dismantled from the line, following works removing the gates at Holden Road and Calder Park Drive in Calder Park and Old Calder Highway in Diggers Rest.
The Sunbury line had some of the most dangerous level crossings in Melbourne, according to the state government.
The first two level crossings to be removed on the line were the scene of multiple fatalities and near misses, with two deaths and more than 60 near misses recorded at the Main Road level crossing in St Albans in the decade prior to its removal in 2016, and three fatalities at the nearby Furlong Road level crossing.
New stations were also built at Ginifer and St Albans in 2016, with a memorial garden at the St Albans station featuring a plaque honouring all Victorians killed at level crossings.
With the removal of the level crossings, the state government said this has eased congestion for the 108,000 motorists that used the eight level crossings each weekday, eliminating four hours of boom gate down time in the morning peak.
The state government said it also avoids even longer boom gate down times when the Metro Tunnel opens later this year, paving the way for more services to run on the line.
The Metro Tunnel will connect the Sunbury line in the city’s north west to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in the south east.
When the Pakenham line becomes boom gate free later this year, trains will be able to travel 100 kilometre to Sunbury without a single level crossing, providing access to five new underground stations.
