Work is set to get underway on developing three MCGs worth of new parks and open space in Preston as two new elevated train stations open next month.
Two brand-new train stations and segments of elevated rail line are just weeks away from opening following the removal of four level crossings around Preston, which – as we reported back in September last year – is set to create 60,000 square metres (three MCGs in size) of new parkland and open space.
The new open space under the rail line in Preston is set to feature play and exercise areas and gathering spaces. Works are expected to be completed next year.
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Trains will stop at the new Preston and Bell stations on Monday 5 September, with passengers set to experience a new station with comfortable waiting rooms, undercover seats and lighting. Trains will also start running on a second elevated rail track on Monday 5 September, with the new rail bridge nearing completion. Since May, trains on the Mernda line have been running on a single elevated track between Regent and Thornbury stations and express through Bell and Preston stations.
As part of the work, buses will be replacing trains on sections of the Mernda line from 9pm Friday 26 August to last service Sunday 4 September. The new stations will have 194 solar panels across the two stations, the equivalent of taking around 780 cars off the road each year.
The new open space will include landscaped areas with more than 700 trees and around 150,000 plants and a shared walking and cycling path to connect the new Preston and Bell stations. The landscaping work will be completed by Wamarra, a First Nations-owned and operated civil contractor.
Four level-crossings in Preston are gone for good, including Melbourne’s most dangerous and congested Bell Street – significantly improving safety and traffic. Further major road and rail upgrades in Melbourne’s north include the removal of the Reservoir level crossing and opening of the new Station, with Keon Parade level crossing next to go and a new station built.
For more information you can visit bigbuild.vic.gov.au
