Lydiard Street reopening
Project dates: 2021
The Lydiard Street level crossing in Ballarat has been re-opened.
Overview
An incident in 2020, in which a late-night V/Line passenger train crashed through the Lydiard Street level crossing’s interlocking, replica heritage gates, forced the closure of the crossing to vehicles.
Protective traffic management barriers were in in place for a period of time following the incident, allowing train services to continue while maintaining community safety.
In November 2021 a temporary solution was completed which saw half boom barriers connected to the older manual signalling system and the road re-opened.
Funding
The Victorian Government has allocated $10.5 million in funding to re-open the road and upgrade the outdated signalling system at Ballarat Station.
It is a complex situation at a crossing where older signalling systems remain in place but need to be repaired and updated to support the changing infrastructure and growing number of services that utilise the tracks through the area. The funding allocated will be spent upgrading the signalling system – a project which could take up to 12 months to complete.
In the meantime we have re-opened the road by connecting half boom barriers to the existing system, keeping Ballarat moving along this historic and significant street.
Timing
Lydiard Street re-opened to road traffic in November 2021. Now that we’ve been able to open the street to traffic again, we’ll turn our attention to developing long-term plans for the crossing.
Latest project news
Crews and specialist contractors have installed half boom barriers at the Lydiard Street level crossing allowing the road to be re-opened.
The heritage-style gates have now been removed and safely stored, in line with the Heritage Victoria permit.
New boom gates have been installed in their place and connected to a new signalling control cabinet, which has been built and tested at V/Line’s Wendouree depot.
V/Line and the Department of Transport will continue to work with the City of Ballarat, Heritage Victoria and the community to develop long-term plans that ensure the crossing meets modern safety standards and recognises the heritage of Ballarat’s station precinct.
We will examine a range of options, with our number one focus on the safety of everyone travelling through the area - whether they’re a passenger on board a train, a driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian.