Welcome to your new Union Station precinct

Boom gates gone

We have removed 2 of Melbourne’s most dangerous and congested level crossings at Union Road, Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert and built a brand-new Union Station.

Union and Mont Albert roads re-opened on Saturday 13 May with pedestrians and traffic able to safely travel on the level crossing-free roads. With these 2 dangerous and congested level crossings gone, more than 22,000 vehicles can now enjoy safer and less congested journeys.

Works will continue after the construction blitz to build station car parks, new open spaces, and complete landscaping and finishing works.

We thank residents, commuters and traders for their patience while we complete one of the biggest engineering projects ever undertaken in Melbourne’s east.

New home for heritage station

The historic Mont Albert Station building will be rehomed close to its original position on a new heritage plaza connecting Beresford Street and High Street to Hamilton Street shopping village.

Based on community feedback and input from Whitehorse City Council, the plaza includes a central grassy area, more seating, colourful garden beds and a future community garden to the north-east.

Local history will be celebrated with historic imagery incorporated into the architectural screens on each side of the plaza. The positioning of planters and seating in the space also references the alignment of the train line. A variety of trees and plants will provide greenery to the plaza, including spotted gums, banksias, river bottlebrushes and tufted bluebells.

Sculptures by local artists

A pair of King Parrot sculptures by artist, Emily Floyd, will welcome locals and visitors at both the northern and southern entrances to Union Station’s western concourse. The toy-like nature of Floyd’s work is influenced by her family background; her parents operated a toy making business

in Canterbury and Box Hill when she was young.

Project timeline

Early 2021

• First phase of community consultation completed

Mid 2021

• Updated designs released
• Ongoing community engagement
• Design enhancements released
• Contract award announced
• Early works begin

Early 2022

• Major construction began
• Final designs released

Early 2023

• Big Dig commenced

May 2023

• Level crossings gone for good
• New Union Station open

Late 2023

• Plant 52,000 trees, shrubs and plants
• Open spaces at Union Road, Lorne Parade Reserve, Montrose Street pocket park, Mont Albert pick up and drop-off area and Mont Albert heritage plaza completed
• Union Station car parks open
• Finishing works completed

All about your new station

Union Station opened on Monday 22 May, with trains running on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines in the rail trench beneath Mont Albert and Union roads.

Train services

Train services at the new Union Station will continue to run to the previous Surrey Hills

Station timetable until the new timetable is implemented on Sunday 28 May.

From Sunday 28 May, Union Station will have 3 additional morning and evening services on weekdays, providing passengers with more travel options. For more information visit the PTV website.

The new station is safer and more accessible and features:

• a modern and safe passenger car park with 8 accessible car parking spaces
• a pick up and drop-off area
• new pedestrian and cycling connections
• premium facilities including toilets, waiting areas and a Protective Services Office pod
• improved lighting
• CCTV cameras
• a sustainable station precinct

Getting around Mont Albert and Surrey Hills

Pedestrians

Pedestrians can access the new Union Station from Windsor Crescent, Montrose Street, Lorne Parade and Mont Albert Road.

Drivers

Union and Mont Albert roads re-opened in early May with pedestrians and traffic able to safely travel on the level crossing-free roads.

The pick-up and drop-off location at the new station opened on Mont Albert Road on Monday 22 May.

Car parks

The northern and southern car parks at the new station will open in late 2023. Passengers can continue to access the 2 free alternative weekday car parks in Box Hill.

Visit the PTV website for more information.

Accessibility

The 5 lifts at the new station provide access to the new platforms. In the southern carpark, passengers have access to 8 accessible car spaces near the station entrance on Windsor Crescent.

PTV bus services

For bus users, Union Station can be accessed by the existing bus stops on Mont Albert Road and Union Road.

Visit the PTV website for more information.

Stamp Me

It’s not too late to get involved and support your local traders.

Everyone can participate in Stamp Me to collect stamps for every $10 purchase and earn rewards.

Signing up to Stamp Me is easy: download the Stamp Me app and click the ‘+’ icon to search for Mont Albert Village Traders and Union Road Surrey Hills.

Open space and landscaping designs

In response to the more than 7,000 pieces of local feedback, we have incorporated several changes into the project’s landscaping designs including new open spaces, a pocket park at Montrose Street and a heritage plaza in Mont Albert.

The new Union Station also features layered canopies, traditional materials and soft muted colours that help integrate the new infrastructure with the surrounds.

These themes carry into the surrounding area where we’ll plant more than 52,000 trees, shrubs and plants, ensuring the area retains its leafy feel now and into the future.

The result is a calm, composed and connected station precinct design with open, bright and inviting spaces set into the leafy landscape.

Work on the landscaping and open spaces will continue into spring.

Local feedback on open spaces

Locals told us how much they valued open space throughout consultation and as a result, the project has retained as much of Lorne Parade Reserve as possible and delivered new open spaces for Mont Albert and Surrey Hills locals to enjoy.

We heard support for the proposed balance of open space and greenery.

Safety emerged as a key theme, with locals wanting to see improved lighting and CCTV, as well as safe connections for pedestrians and cyclists moving through the precinct.

Thank you, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills

Thank you for your patience as we completed these important infrastructure works in your area.

These level crossings were 2 of Melbourne’s worst – the level crossing at Union Road was the site of a tragic incident in 2016 that resulted in 2 fatalities, and there have been at least 8 near misses at these crossings since 2005.

The boom gates at these sites were down for up to 40% of the morning peak, when up to 61 trains ran through the crossings.

Early works started in June 2021, the level crossings were removed in May 2023 and the project will be fully completed in 2023.