Newsroom

Craigieburn Rail Trail breathes again

A pulse has been detected in the long dormant project to build a trail linking Pascoe Vale to Craigieburn along the rail corridor.

The first stage was completed in 2014 and stage two, due to get under way in 2015, has been in a deep sleep due to construction issues.

The project instigator, the City of Moreland, is now moving forward with stage 3 while stage 2 remains on hold.

Stage 4 will move into the design phase later this year.

Details of stage 3 have now been released for public comment here.

The trail as originally envisaged links up with the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail at its southern end in Pascoe Vale and goes north along the rail line to Craigieburn.

Since the advent of the State Government’s Strategic Cycling Corridor (SCC) planning, the route has been declared an SCC and eventually will extend beyond Craigieburn all the way the Wallan on Melbourne’s outer fringes.

Moreland City is currently gearing up for stage 3 to get underway between Gaffney Street and Bothwell Street.  

The works are expected to take place in 2022/2023 financial year, with the exact schedule yet to be determined.

An external consultant is currently conducting a tree assessment along the rail corridor. Following this the design plans will be finalised subject to approval from the relevant rail authorities.

Within Moreland the construction of the trail is split into 4 stages:
Stage 1 – Devon Rd to Cartwright St (constructed in 2014)
Stage 2 – Bothwell St to Devon Rd (project on hold)
Stage 3 – Gaffney St to Bothwell St (to be constructed 2022/23)
Stage 4 – Cartwright St to Glenroy Rd (currently in design phase)

The council describes the project as a high-quality off-road bicycle and pedestrian link along the Craigieburn rail corridor that will ultimately link people to major activity centres, public transport hubs, and other off-road trails.

The council intends to resume the stalled stage 2 in the upcoming years.

A consultant is  being engaged for the design phase of stage 4 with construction expected to take place in 2023.

This article was made possible by the support of Bicycle Network's members who enable us to make bike riding better in Australia.