Level crossing removal construction blitz for Altona as mobile Myki trial announced

The Altona loop is next in line to get the construction blitz treatment with the level crossing removal programme for the area set to shut the line down for approximately six weeks.

Between the 16th of June and the 29th of July buses will replace trains on the Altona Loop as work continues to remove the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing.

Contracts were signed in May 2017 for the Altona Loop line level crossing removal at the same time as contracts were awarded for Abbotts Road in Dandenong South, Aviation Road in Laverton and Furguson Street in Williamstown.

The Altona loop railway track will be elevated above Kororoit Creek Road and the new rail bridge will also include duplicated track.  The existing level crossing consists of a single bi-directional track which splits in two at the junction with the main Werribee line to the north of Kororoit Creek Road.

The level crossing removal will extend the duplicated track south of Kororoit Creek Road, however, the entire Altona loop will not be duplicated as part of the level crossing removal programme.

A Spring Street media release says there will "also be some overnight closures of Kororoit Creek Road at the level crossing with traffic detours in place, and some off-peak closures of the Werribee Line, where buses will replace trains between Newport and Werribee".

Continuing an Australian-first construction technique that has already been used in rail bridges on the Skye/Overton Road level crossing removal and Mernda railway line extension project, the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing removal will be made up of forty L-shape beams that will be transported overnight from Kilmore and then craned into place during the day.

Mobile Myki trial announced

The Minister for Public Transport has announced a trial to allow public transport commuters to use their Android smartphones to pay for fares.

The trial will utilise a custom-built Android app and near-field communication technology to integrate with the existing Myki ticket barriers and card readers across the Victorian public transport network.

Initially, the trial will be limited to a small industry-based test user group on Android devices with a wider public test group to be included in the trial later in the year.

A Spring Street media release states "discussions will continue during the trial to explore other smartphone users access Mobile Myki".

The trial period is expected to run until early 2019 when a decision will be made about a system-wide rollout.

For more information, see ptv.vic.gov.au/mobilemyki