In the early years the level crossing was protected by a set of hand gates, opened and closed by a staff member for every passing train, and spending their downtime in the small cabin beside the tracks.

Mark Strizic photo, SLV H2008.11/960

In 1956 they were replaced by Victoria’s first set of boom barriers, operated automatically by the passage of trains.

PROV photo VPRS 12800/P5 unit 27, item S0299

In 1970 the South Eastern Freeway was extended east to Toorak Road in Kooyong, where it ended at a set of traffic lights. The “missing link” between the South Eastern Freeway and the Mulgrave Freeway was eventually opened as the “South Eastern Arterial Road Link” in 1988, but in a nod to freeway objectors, was built with traffic lights at intersections instead of flyovers.

The traffic lights with the Southern Eastern Freeway at Toorak Road was replaced by a full interchange in 1996, with further freeway upgrades completed in 2000 when the CityLink project widened the road to three lanes in each direction between Toorak Road and the city, and in 2010 widened again to four lanes in each direction.

As for the level crossing, it took until February 2019 for the grade separation of Toorak Road to be announced as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. Contracts were awarded in June 2019.

Major works started in September 2019, with a new rail over road bridge built on the west side of the existing tracks at ground level.

With trains using the new bridge from April 2020, following a nine day shutdown.

Completed bridge over Toorak Road

Footnote: hand gates elsewhere

Hand gates at Melbourne level crossings survived a surprisingly long time – the Upfield line was full of them until an upgrade of the line in 1997.

This left the heritage listed gates at New Street on the Sandringham line in Brighton hung on even longer.

They were “temporarily” closed in 2007, closed for good in 2010, until eventually replaced by boom barriers in 2013.

Other level crossing protection

The first automated level crossing warning system on Victoria’s railways was a ‘wig wag’ signal installed at Amess Street, North Carlton in 1923, with further 31 subsequently installed around the state.

They were followed by the first set of flashing light signals installed at the Warrigal Road level crossing in Mentone in 1932.

And those big tanks

Those big round tanks behind the level crossing – they’re called gasometers and were once used to store gas, until they were made made redundant by the rollout of natural gas – but that’s a story for another time.

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