About the project
The State Government is removing 8 level crossings in Brunswick between Park Street, Parkville and Albion Street, Brunswick. This is expected to be completed by 2027.
This project is being delivered by the State Government through the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) and will see an elevated rail line built to replace the existing train line and boom gates. This will connect with the Coburg-to-Moreland elevated rail section that was completed in 2021.
This project will have a much larger impact to Brunswick than just the removal of boom gates. It will also open up new east-west routes across the suburb, create major new areas of open space and new landscaped areas, bring new public art, new station precincts, and impact the Upfield Shared User Path.
Although we are not delivering this project, Council has an important role to play in advocating on behalf of our community, and to work closely with the Level Crossing Removals Project throughout the life of the project. We are seeking feedback at this early stage to understand what is most important to our community.
What we've done so far
We have carried out 3 roundtables where locals considered a deeper dive around specific themes, spoken to over a hundred people through our roaming conversations, spoken to different local language groups through our Community Connectors, and had a raft of other conversations with local businesses, residents and stakeholders.
Public meeting
On 2 March we held a public meeting at the Brunswick Town Hall. The purpose of the meeting was to bring everyone together to hear from each other, share what we'd heard so far, compare views and thoughts on the information collected and agree as a collective on what was most important to inform Council’s advocacy position.
Watch a recording of the public meeting
The removal of these level crossings in Brunswick brings the potential for many local benefits and the community’s voice is critical in providing the detail that is needed to achieve this.
Our priority is to ensure the project realises these benefits, is well-planned, delivered to the highest quality and constructed with the least possible disruption to our community.
Our role is to listen to our community about what is most important in the design and delivery of this project, and to then feed this detailed community insight back to the LXRP.
The LXRP have indicated they are in the early project planning stages. We are proactively getting out and about in the local community at this early stage with a varied community engagement program, to have the best possible opportunity to shape the future of the project.
The input we receive from you at this early stage will be used to create Council’s formal advocacy position and help guide us as we work with the LXRP through the future stages of the project.
We want to hear from as many local voices as possible, and get the strongest understanding of local ideas, concerns, and aspirations to achieve the best for Brunswick’s future.
The insights you share with us through the engagement program will be captured in a Position Paper that Council will consider at their April Council meeting. This paper will clearly set out what we want to achieve from the level crossing removals in Brunswick.
We will continue to talk to our community throughout the delivery of the project, to identify and address any areas of concern, and continually feed this back to the LXRP.
Share your thoughts and ideas with us through this interactive map.
The removal of the level crossings in Brunswick and the elevation of the rail line will bring major change to the area. Are there any specific spots that you think should be changed, considered or protected as the major works are carried out? Please share with us your thoughts on which places are most loved locally and which are not working as they could.
This could include anything from particular
spots you think the shared user path is too narrow, or a patch of community
plantings that is especially loved, to an exciting idea you've seen elsewhere
that you think would improve the way people experience the Brunswick rail
corridor.
Issues and opportunities
In December 2022, Council Officers developed a document that captured some of the main issues and opportunities that we see for the Brunswick level crossing removals. This piece of work is a starting point for conversations with our community and we have already received valuable feedback on further local issues and opportunities to consider.
Do you have a question about the Brunswick level crossing removals?
The best way to stay updated on the Upfield Line Level Crossing Removal Project is by subscribing to receive email updates from the State Government’s Big Build.
We encourage you to contact the LXRP directly on 1800 105 105 or at contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au if you have any further queries.
To find out about works notices and disruptions in the Brunswick area, visit https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/level-crossing-removal-project/projects/brunswick
