The countdown is on to reopen Lydiard Street and end more than 12 months of closures, but residents will still have to wait for one more part of the puzzle.
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The level crossing at Lydiard Street was closed in May 2020 after a runaway train smashed through the southern heritage-style swing gate.
The state government finally announced $10.5 million to reopen the street in May 2021 - a temporary solution, with boom gates, will be installed first, before a permanent solution is worked out.
Early investigative drilling works have been completed, and repeated lockdowns have had an effect on timing, but it's now October, and the street remains closed.
The Department of Transport is still waiting for a permit for the interim boom gate solution to be approved by Heritage Victoria.
In a statement, Mr Carroll said the preparatory works are "progressing well", but there is still no date for any reopening, only that those works will be complete "in the coming weeks".
"These works will ensure that we can start installing an interim solution, sooner rather than later, once the heritage approval process is completed," he said.
It's not known when this will occur.
On Saturday, several components of the destroyed gates were seen still installed at the site, almost 500 days since the accident.
The interim solution will include some new signalling infrastructure, but a totally new, fully automated system with modern signalling is expected to be installed by mid-2022.
This permanent solution will acknowledge the heritage value of the replica swing gates, among the last in Victoria, according to the state government.
It's not known how long the crossing will need to be closed again for construction and commissioning.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the accident which destroyed the gates is expected to be released before the end of the year.
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