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Victoria’s Level Crossing Removal Project opened the rebuilt Melton Station to passengers on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, after trains resumed on new rail bridges over Exford and Coburns roads. The official Victorian Big Build project page says all four nearby level crossings are now gone and the elevated station is in service, with precinct finishing work continuing into early 2027.
If you ride V/Line through Melbourne’s west this month, use the new platforms and underpass, but do not treat the station as finished: toilets, the air-conditioned waiting room, the bus interchange, and extra parking are still coming. Drivers have a separate deadline. Coburns Road closes at the rail line from Sunday, September 6, through Thursday, September 24. Travelers connecting from the city can pair the station with a Melbourne day plan once they reach Southern Cross.
- Opened: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, with trains on the new elevated station.
- Now: Four platforms, lifts, stairs, and a 16 metre underpass are in passenger use.
- Still closed: Coburns Road at the rail line, September 6 to 24, while crews rebuild the road.
- Later: Nine-car VLocity trains in 2027, with precinct buildings due in early 2027.
- Who it hits: V/Line riders on the Melton, Ballarat, Ararat, and Maryborough corridors, plus local drivers.
Passengers Can Use Four Platforms and a 16 Metre Underpass
The new station sits on an elevated rail line in Melton, a fast-growing suburb west of central Melbourne. Time Out Melbourne reported on September 3 that passengers are already using four platforms, with lift and stair access through a 16 metre wide underpass that also lets people cross the rail corridor without boom gates.
V/Line is Victoria’s regional passenger operator. Melton is a stop on diesel regional services that run into Southern Cross station in the Melbourne CBD. The rebuild does not by itself add new timetabled trips this month. It changes how you enter, wait, and cross the line, and it prepares the stop for longer trains next year.
Two of the four platforms are built for nine-car VLocity sets. The other two are reserved for a later electrified Metro-style service. Until those trains arrive, expect the same regional rolling stock, on a station that no longer matches the old ground-level layout.
Coburns Road Closes September 6 Through 24
The traveler decision for drivers is dated and short. With Exford Road already reopened without boom gates, Coburns Road closes at the former level crossing from Sunday, September 6, to Thursday, September 24. Crews will remove leftover rail infrastructure and rebuild the road and footpath. Time Out Melbourne and the July Victorian Government construction notices both give those dates.
That window starts in two days. If you drive to the station, pick up family, or use local shops on Coburns Road, plan a detour before Sunday. The project page tells local traders to stay open and asks residents to keep using them. Do not assume a shortcut across the rail corridor during the rebuild.
Exford Road is the boom-gate-free alternative that reopened when trains moved onto the new bridges. Ferris Road in Melton and Hopkins Road in Truganina already have road bridges over the rail line. The four crossings together carried about 73,000 vehicles a day, with boom gates down for up to 28 minutes in the morning peak, according to the official project summary.
Four Level Crossings Are Already Gone
The station opening is the passenger half of a road-and-rail package. Victorian Big Build says the Coburns Road, Exford Road, Ferris Road, and Hopkins Road crossings are removed. Time Out Melbourne called the Melton pair the 93rd and 94th level crossings taken out across Victoria under the statewide program, which is aiming for 110 removals by 2033.
For a visitor, that matters more than the construction branding. A rental car or rideshare from Melbourne Airport or the CBD no longer sits behind those four boom-gate cycles. Walking between both sides of the Melton station precinct now goes through the underpass instead of a road crossing. Keep watching local detour signs through September 24, because Coburns Road is still a worksite.
The July Rail Express preview, written from Victorian Government notices, said buses replaced trains on parts of the Ballarat, Ararat, and Maryborough lines from August 12 to August 31 so crews could finish the bridges. Those replacements ended when services resumed September 1. Do not pack for a rail replacement bus this week unless V/Line posts a new notice.
Nine-Car VLocity Trains Are Scheduled for 2027
The useful capacity change is next year, not this week. Two platforms can already take nine-car VLocity trains. The Victorian Government says those longer sets are due on the Melton Line in 2027, a year earlier than a prior schedule, and models a 50 percent lift in peak passenger capacity once they run.
A VLocity is V/Line’s diesel multiple-unit train. Today’s typical sets are shorter. The extra cars are meant to cut crush loads on a corridor that has added housing faster than seats. Platform extensions at Caroline Springs and Deer Park are already part of the same Melton Line Upgrade. Rockbank and Cobblebank extensions were listed for later in 2026 in the May community update.
Electrification is a later layer. The station is future-proofed so Metro electric services can use two platforms, and a stabling yard at Cobblebank, east of Melton, is under construction to house electric trains. No current official page gives a passenger start date for those Metro services. Treat electrification as a design fact, not a booking date.
Precinct Facilities Keep Opening Into Early 2027
The station is usable and incomplete. Victorian Big Build says work continues on the northern forecourt, an air-conditioned waiting room, the bus interchange, landscaping, and car parks, with those pieces due in early 2027. Time Out Melbourne adds more than 900 commuter parking spaces over the coming months, plus about 670 native trees and 180,000 plants around the precinct.
July construction notices said customer service and toilet facilities would stay at the temporary station while the precinct was unfinished. Time Out’s September 3 report still lists upgraded toilets with the later precinct package. Until the project marks those rooms open, do not count on new toilets or a staffed ticket office at the elevated building.
If you are arriving with luggage after a long-haul flight, that gap matters. Southern Cross remains the main interchange for city trams, regional trains, and airport coaches. Melton is a western suburban stop, not a tourist railhead. Pair it with a Melbourne itinerary only after you confirm V/Line times and the Coburns Road detour if you are being collected by car.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Ride V/Line through Melton this week | Use the new elevated platforms and 16 metre underpass. Trains resumed September 1. |
| Drive Coburns Road or get a pickup there | Reroute from September 6 through 24 while the road is rebuilt at the old crossing. |
| Need toilets, a waiting room, or a bus bay | Do not assume they are inside the new building. Precinct rooms are due in early 2027. |
| Are planning around longer trains | Nine-car VLocity service is scheduled for 2027, not for this September timetable. |
September 1 is the passenger-open date. V/Line riders should use the new elevated platforms, lifts, stairs, and 16 metre underpass now.
September 6 to 24 is the Coburns Road closure. Drivers and pickups must reroute while crews rebuild the road at the old crossing.
Early 2027 is the precinct finish window. Do not count on the waiting room, toilets, bus interchange, or full car parks until the project marks those rooms open.
When did the new Melton Station open?
Victorian Big Build says the rebuilt elevated station opened to passengers on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, when train services resumed on the new bridges.
Is Coburns Road closed at Melton Station?
Yes. Official construction notices and Time Out Melbourne say Coburns Road closes at the rail line from Sunday, September 6, to Thursday, September 24, while crews reconstruct the road and footpath.
Are the new toilets and waiting room open?
Not as a finished precinct. The project page lists the air-conditioned waiting room, bus interchange, and related station facilities among works still underway into early 2027.
When do nine-car VLocity trains start at Melton?
The Victorian Government says two platforms are already built for nine-car VLocity trains, with those longer peak sets scheduled to run on the Melton Line in 2027.
