How you’ve influenced the design

We’re removing the dangerous and congested level crossings at Union Road, Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert by lowering the rail line beneath the roads in an open trench and building a new premium station with better facilities and more services.

The Victorian Government has fast-tracked these level crossings for removal, bringing hundreds of jobs to the local area and removing the boom gates 2 years earlier than originally planned

Between December 2020 and late February 2021, we asked the community to share ideas and feedback on the concept design for the new station and station precinct.

We received a fantastic response – with more than 5000 individual pieces of feedback from hundreds of local residents, businesses, drivers and commuters.

Your feedback, along with further technical investigations, has helped shape the updated designs.

The new station architecture and bespoke layout is open, light and inviting, and complements the local area. The new station precinct connects with and celebrates Lorne Parade Reserve as a modern green space for generations to come.

The result is a calm, composed and connected design that blends with the local surrounds.

• 5327 pieces of feedback from 1500 community members
• 994 design feedback surveys completed
• 15,000+ visits to our online engagement hub
• 487 attendees across 9 virtual community information sessions
• More than 740 enquiries answered via contact centre and online engagement hub

Station precinct design

Station precinct and public realm

The new station precinct forms an integral part of the project design

You told us that you value the leafy feel around the local area and want the new station to fit in with and respect the heritage buildings. You also wanted to see better connections for cyclists and pedestrians.

In response, our designers have created a ‘green heart’ for the new station, with planting and landscaping in and around the station precinct, new open spaces on Union Road and Mont Albert Road, and a rejuvenated Lorne Parade Reserve.

A dedicated bike path along Lorne Parade will connect with the Box Hill to Hawthorn Trail and new pedestrian links between the new station and the Surrey Hills and Mont Albert shopping villages will improve community access and safety.

Finally, to breathe life into the precinct, we are considering integrating the area’s rich Indigenous and European history in design elements such as screening and public artworks.

Landscaping, trees and greenery

Landscaping in and around the station precinct will include canopy trees along pedestrian paths, and thousands of shrubs, plants and other greenery.

In response to community feedback, we will plant mostly native species as well as some exotic species.

While some trees near the rail corridor will need to be removed, the project is committed to retaining as many trees as possible, particularly mature trees with high amenity value. In addition, we'll plant thousands of new trees and plants as part of our landscaping, and for every tree we remove we'll plant at least 2 new trees, either within the project area or elsewhere nearby.

Car parking

Many community members have said they would like to see better car parking and we have heard about problems with informal and illegal parking where vehicles block each other in.

The new station car park will be built to modern standards with a better layout, improved lighting and CCTV, and around the same number of current car park spaces.

Our designs also provide the opportunity for additional car parks to be added in the future.

Lorne Parade Reserve

Lorne Parade Reserve is a highly valued community asset.

We heard you want to see a children's play space and as much open grassed area as possible, to allow informal play and other community uses.

In response, we'll replace the existing play equipment with a completely new play space, and we’ve arranged the station buildings, main station entrance and paths in a way so as to maximise the amount of open space in the reserve.

You can now have your say on design elements for Lorne Parade Reserve to help us shape the final designs for this area.

Old Mont Albert Station

The old Mont Albert Station holds a special place in the community’s heart and many people would like to see the old building repurposed and kept in the local area.

Ideas for the old Mont Albert Station included turning the building into a café or restaurant, or using it as a community centre.

We’re committed to returning the building to the local area upon project completion. We’re considering your feedback and will provide more information about restoring the old building when we release final designs.

How you've helped shape the designs