CHELTENHAM Station has been officially reopened.
The old station was torn down this year as part of level crossing removal works. After two months of construction, the new station is completed.
Eight stations have been replaced or remodelled on the Frankston line as part of level crossing removal works. Four more are still scheduled to be redeveloped too.
The new Cheltenham Station has two sets of lifts and stairs and a new forecourt and community open space. A multi-level car park is set to be completed next year.
Frankston line trains have been running through the new rail trenches below Park and Charman roads in Cheltenham and Balcombe Road in Mentone since mid-July.
Works at the station will still continue though, with a green space linking Cheltenham’s retail precinct with the new station and Cheltenham Park still scheduled to be constructed.
Further down the line, Kingston Council has resolved to commit $750,000 to the construction of a new pedestrian bridge at Chelsea Station.
The mayor Georgina Oxley said that “council has invested $750,000 in the project to deliver a fantastic outcome for the Chelsea community that will see a new 6.8 metre wide bridge with enhanced design features including ramps, new lighting, seating, shading and landscaping.”
“Access will also be improved with both steps and DDA compliant accessible ramps on both sides of the pedestrian bridge between Chelsea Road and The Strand. We want to make sure communities and businesses on both sides of the rail line feel connected and there is easy access to shops and other community facilities,” she said.
“The new train station along with the pedestrian bridge is the first step in the much needed revitalisation of Chelsea’s shopping centre and a major investment in the area’s future.”
Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson “we’ve transformed the Cheltenham and Mentone communities with three level crossings gone for good, and two new stations with plenty of space for the community to enjoy.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 2 September 2020