Rail commuters are finding it safer and easier to find a park at Werribee station, with 130 new and upgraded car spaces now open, relieving parking pressures in a fast-growing area in Melbourne’s west.

Built by the Level Crossing Removal Project as part of the Victorian Government’s Car Parks for Commuters Program, the 20 per cent boost from 582 spaces to 700 in marked spaces follows the removal of two dangerous and congested level crossings at Cherry Street and Werribee Street earlier this year.

The existing commuter car park at Werribee Station is typically full by 7am on weekdays, and has long been a pain point for the nearly 4000 commuters who use the station daily.

It’s anticipated the upgrade – which also includes lighting and CCTV cameras – will help ease pressure on local streets which have long borne the brunt of overflow parking from commuters unable to find a spot at the station.

The extra marked spaces are located within an area close to Bunnings that occupies a parcel of land previously used by the level crossing removal project for a site compound.  Motorists can enter and exit the new parking area from Kelly Street and Griffiths Street.

At the existing station car park, accessible spaces have been tripled, with 18 extra spaces added. More than 40 bicycle hoops have been added, meaning there will be room for around 150 bikes following these upgrades.

Crews have also been busy applying final architectural touches to a pedestrian and cyclist underpass, part of the final stage of the Cherry Street level crossing removal project. Works to create finishes, connecting pathways and civic plazas on either side of the underpass are complete, with some landscaping still to be done.

Providing a direct connection between homes to the north of the rail line and shops to the south, the underpass makes it easier for locals to access Werribee’s CBD without getting in the car.

Original artwork by artist and designer Richard Briggs is a feature of the updated precinct, with a series of his trademark line drawings embedded into the pavement. The work, titled Community recordings, is inspired by conversations with Werribee locals.

Last month, a ten-day construction blitz saw works ramp up on other level crossing removal projects along the Werribee line which will connect communities across the rail line and improve active transport for Melbourne’s west.

At Hoppers Crossing Station stairs and canopy roofing was installed for a new pedestrian overpass, part of the Old Geelong Road level crossing removal. Crews working to build a pedestrian underpass at Aircraft Station also began major excavation beneath the rail line.

Across Melbourne 75 level crossings are being removed, with more than 20 sites now under construction, and 46 crossings already gone for good. One crossing on average is being removed every four weeks this year. For more information visit: levelcrossings.vic.gov.au

Quote attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas 

“We’re improving transport connections across the west – whether you are walking, cycling or catching a train, it’s about getting people to where they need to go safer and sooner. 

“Central Werribee is already level crossing free and it is exciting to see the huge pipeline of investment continue in Melbourne’s west.”