McConnell Dowell is the constructor and leader of the Western Program Alliance, delivering part of the Victorian state government’s ambitious level crossing removal program, which is set to remove 110 dangerous level crossings by 2030.

Our Alliance brings together ourselves, the Level Crossing Removal Project (government), MTM (network operator), and Arup and Mott MacDonald (design partners).

In six years we have successfully completed 9 crossing removals in Melbourne’s western and south eastern suburbs, including specific sites at:

1. Kororoit Creek Road in Williamstown North – a rail over road bridge and duplication of 800 metres of track on the Altona Loop
2. Abbotts Road in Dandenong South – a rail over road bridge in an industrial zone
3. Aviation Road in Laverton – a road over rail bridge within a busy shopping precinct
4. Werribee Street in Werribee - a rail over road bridge, including the main ARTC freight line
5. Cherry Street in Werribee - a road over rail bridge adjacent to the busy shopping centre of Werribee
6. Ferguson Street in Williamstown - a lowering of the rail under a busy arterial road and construction of a new station
7. Old Geelong Road in Hoppers Crossing - a new road over rail bridge and new station facilities.
8. Greens Road in Dandenong South – a new rail over road bridge as part of the Cranbourne Line Upgrade
9. Mt Derrimut Road in Deer Park -  a new rail over road bridge and construction of a new station for V/Line.

Currently underway is another level crossing removal at Webb Street Narre Warren, involving a new rail over road bridge and construction of a new station, while another road over rail project is about to kick-off in Diggers Rest.

The Alliance also completed the design and construction of a new train stabling facility in Wyndham Vale for V/Line and duplicated the Cranbourne Line in Melbourne’s south east; the latter including additional level crossing removals.

See the photo gallery below for pictures of completed projects.

Innovations

With a strong focus on creative ideas and continuous improvement, the Alliance has achieved many innovations including:

• Drone Survey: the use of drones paired with cloud-based sofware, to survey the projects and monitor the team's progress
• Connected Site: a collaboration with technology leader Orange that has seen the “Internet of Things” used on a major infrastructure construction site to deliver increased productivity, reduced costs and enhanced safety outcomes
• Recycled Sleepers: laying 120 recycled plastic sleepers as a trial on the V/Line network - an Australian first for a regional passenger line
• PFAS contaminated soil reuse: Through collaboration with the EPA, the team developed a soil encapsulation and reuse method that avoided off site relocation of the waste, saving 187,000kg of transport related CO2.
• Renewable energy generators: Renewable energy generators:  minimising diesel-powered mobile generators for site power by adopting renewables in the form of a ‘mobile renewable generator’. The system was recognised by the Clean Energy Council as an innovation in infrastructure
• Micro-learning initiative: quickly and efficiently communicating safety rules and protocols to those who are only visiting our sites for a short period of time - like delivery drivers.