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Massive Upfield Trail upgrade announced

The Upfield Trail between Parkville and Coburg is set to become one of Melbourne’s best bike routes with the announcement today that the Upfield Rail line will be elevated all the way through Brunswick.The State Government announced that eight level crossings are to be removed, with a new Upfield Trail constructed beneath the tracks.The elevated rail structure will connect to the recently built elevated track between Moreland Road and Bell Street, and likewise, the forthcoming new trail through Brunswick will match to the wildly popular new trail under the tracks through Coburg.The Upfield Trail is a major conduit from the northern suburbs to the University and Parkville, the CBD and Docklands.But it is miserably narrow in places, hemmed in with higgledy-piggledy fencing, and hampered by signalised crossings that are linked into rail boom-gate operation.With the population of the Sydney Road corridor rising rapidly, the trail was facing severe capacity constraints, squeezed in between the property boundaries and the rail tracks.Now the tracks to be elevated, there will be plenty of space for a wider trail, with bikes and walkers having their own path, with space left over for other beneficial local features.Crossings are being removed at:

  • Albert Street, Brunswick
  • Albion Street, Brunswick
  • Brunswick Road, Brunswick
  • Dawson Street, Brunswick
  • Hope Street, Brunswick
  • Union Street, Brunswick
  • Victoria Street, Brunswick
  • Park Street, Parkville

Community consultation and further project design will occur early next year, with the level crossings to be removed by 2027.Premier Daniel Andrews said: “We’re not wasting a minute removing dangerous and congested level crossings across Melbourne, ahead of schedule, with 66 already gone for good – and we’re not slowing down any time soon.”The Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said: “We’re getting rid of eight more of these death traps on the Upfield Line – making local roads safer, improving traffic flow, and clearing the way for more trains, more often.”

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