Delays after train hits car driven by elderly man near Brunswick station

Trains on inner northern Melbourne’s Upfield line remain suspended after a passenger service hit a car in Brunswick.

An elderly man was taken to hospital after the incident. He drove through boom gates at a level crossing near Brunswick station about midday.

Replacement buses continue to operate between North Melbourne and Coburg, adding extra congestion to Sydney Road.

Commuters are being urged to add an extra 45 minutes to their journeys.

Pictures from the scene near the station earlier today show the Mercedes with a crumpled bonnet and damaged fencing around the pedestrian crossing.

“It is understood a silver Mercedes drove through barriers onto the train tracks and while stationary, the front of the car was struck by a train at the railway station, about 11.50am,” a police spokesperson said.

“The driver of the Mercedes, an 85-year-old man, was conveyed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”

The driver was released from hospital a few hours later.

Buses are replacing trains on the Upfield line between North Melbourne and Coburg following the crash. Delays are expected.

“We ask motorists to avoid the area where possible, using Melville Road or Nicholson Street to avoid congestion,” the Transport Department told commuters in a traffic alert.

“Services will resume and the road will reopen only when investigations and repairs are complete.”

The incident occurred at a level crossing the state government has pledged to remove because it is hazardous and chokes traffic during the morning commute. The government said last month that the level crossing would be demolished by 2030.

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