The Rail Revival Alliance’s Scott Ramsay said the crossings at Powell and Heinz streets in White Hills were “an accident waiting to happen” for motorists and train passengers alike and called on the Public Transport Minister and Member for Bendigo East to act.

“It’s astounding that in the 10 years that Jacinta Allan has been in parliament that these two rail crossings are in her electorate and yet she’s done nothing about them,” he said.

“A massive amount of money has been spent in Melbourne to reduce the impact of crossings and separate the road from the rail transport yet in the Minister for Public Transport’s own electorate there are two rail crossings without boom gates, so there is quite an irony there.”

In response, Ms Allan yesterday confirmed boom gates would be installed at the intersections by the end of the year.

She said level crossings at Powell Street and Heinz Street on the Bendigo line would be upgraded from passive to active, including the installation of boom gates, bells, flashing lights and axle counters.

“Upgrading the Powell and Heinz Street level crossing will improve safety and reliability of train services,” she said.

“We’re upgrading these road and pedestrian crossings to improve safety for motorists, passengers and local communities in Bendigo.”

But Mr Ramsay said the intersections were already becoming increasingly dangerous following timetable changes and as more services were added to the line.

“My concern really is the public safety and the safety of the employees of V/Line that these two crossings in residential areas don’t have boom gates,” he said.

“It’s great that $91 million is going to be spent upgrading the line between Echuca and Bendigo but just with the level of traffic that’s on both these roads, those crossings can’t wait for an upgrade, it needs to be done fairly quickly otherwise there will be an accident and then there will be finger pointing.

“I’d prefer that the boom gates are installed so we don’t get to the finger pointing stage and people’s lives are at risk.”

The state government has promised to remove 50 level crossings across Melbourne, with at least 20 to be gone by 2018.

When the work began last year, Premier Daniel Andrews said the first crossing to be removed, in Glen Iris, which already had boom gates fitted, had “put lives at risk”.

“Motorists, passengers and locals have had to live with these boom gates for too long. They caused congestion, they put lives at risk, and now we’ve removed them,” he said.

“This is the first of 50 level crossings we will remove, and we’re not wasting a day getting rid of each and every one of them.”