Questions addressed during webinar

Where does the rail trench start and end?

The approximate extent of the rail trench is indicated by the dotted lines along the rail corridor in the project map.

Note that the start and end points are different for the north and south of the rail corridor, due to variations in ground levels.

The western end of the trench is around half way between Robinson Road and Union Road, and the eastern end of the trench is near Box Place or Hood Street.

The trench itself will be approximately 1.3km in length.

What are the provisions for disabled access?

The station designs comply with the current Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) standards. Key accessibility features include:

• a dedicated accessible drop-off space at the Mont Albert Road drop-off area
• more parking spaces for people with disability in the station car park, with 8 accessible parking spaces (compared to the previous 1 space at the old Surrey Hills Station and no accessible parking at the old Mont Albert Station)
• 2 additional accessible spaces near Union Road, for better access to the new public open space and the Union Road shopping precinct
• straight platforms that minimise the gap between the platform and train
• new accessible paths and lifts at both ends of the station platforms
• gentle ramps at all station entrances

How will pedestrians be able to cross Union and Mont Albert Roads safely?

New pedestrian lights at Union Road and Mont Albert Road will provide safe crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists, including passengers connecting between trains and buses.

Pedestrian underpasses were ruled out early in the design process due to the extent of ramping required to transition from road level to underneath each road. This would have impacted on the adjacent roads as well as some properties as the ramps cannot fit in the available space. We will not be removing any existing pedestrian crossings as part of the project works.

What is the height of the buildings? Has it changed?

The heights of buildings haven’t changed from what has been shared previously, but they do vary. The general answer we have provided is that the buildings heights are typically 4 or 5 metres and can change depending on exactly where they are measured. There is also a canopy over the station concourses, and the distance from the floor of the concourse to the very top of the canopy roof is 6m.

The buildings are broken up into pods and the roof lines are layered to break up the visual bulk and make the station less imposing.

The roads are also at different levels. For example, at the eastern entrance closest to Mont Albert Road, the floor of the building is slightly raised compared to Lorne Parade and slightly lower compared to Beresford Street.

As a result, the building that you can see from Lorne Parade will be about 5m from the surface of the road to the top of that building, with the station canopy sitting a little higher over that. On Beresford Street, the lower part of the roofline for the station canopy is about 4m above the road level, and from the road level to the very top of the canopy roof is around 5m. This is about the same as the height of a single-storey home.

Elevation information

The project roll plot includes an elevation profile of the entire trench and provides an approximate indication of the building sizes. The roll plot is available on the Engage Victoria Surrey Hills and Mont Albert page.

Each of the horizontal white lines represents 5m. The dotted line is the southern edge of the trench, and the solid line is the northern edge.

Note that the houses in this drawing are illustrative only and show a single-storey house relative to the station and aren’t based on actual neighbouring homes.

For anyone who wants more specific information, we can provide detailed dimensions on request.

Other questions

What is the name of the new station and what will happen to the two existing stations?

The name of the new station is Union Station. The name was selected from a number of potential names following community consultation.

The 2 old stations will be combined to form the new Union Station. This is a result of detailed engineering assessments that determined that the best way to replace the existing stations is to build one new premium station, with entrances at each end to maintain convenient access for the Mont Albert and Surrey Hills communities.

You can read more about the new station in our Union Station fact sheet.

The historic Mont Albert station building will be carefully disassembled in sections, stored during the level crossing removal works and then restored and rehomed close to its original position on a new heritage plaza connecting Beresford Street and High Street to the Hamilton Street shopping village.

What plants will be planted as part of the project?

The planting strategy for the project references the leafy neighbourhood character of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert. The tree palette consists of a variety of deciduous and native evergreen trees that complement existing street trees and provide a variety of landscape functions including shade, habitat, feature interest, screening and structure.

The understorey planting consists of a mixture of native, indigenous and exotic shrubs, grasses and ground cover plantings that are a celebration of the garden heritage of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert.

We'll plant more than 52,000 new trees, shrubs, plants and grasses across Surrey Hills and Mont Albert at the conclusion of the project, including a mix of containerised trees for immediate effect and young trees to ensure the landscaping has the maximum opportunity of growing successfully. For every tree that we remove, two new trees will be planted in the local area.

For more information you can download the open spaces planting list.

How are you managing parking in the Mont Albert shopping village?

As part of our plan to keep car spaces available in the shopping village, we have set up no-construction parking zones and confined any project-related use of car spaces to one section of the Hamilton Street car park. This ensures that car spaces in the shopping precinct remain available for shoppers and visitors.

We have also distributed parking maps to local traders for them to provide to their staff and customers. These maps show where all day and restricted hours parking is available in the local area.

As part of our workforce induction process, we supply new members of our team with parking maps of the local area so that they know where they can and cannot park. Car parking is also discussed pre-start meetings and parking maps are displayed around our site offices.

How much input has the community had on the final designs?

We have received more than 7000 pieces of feedback from the community across the life of the project via online surveys, the online engagement hub, community information sessions and through the call centre.

You can read more about the feedback we received in our consultation report.

The feedback from the local community has contributed to significant improvements to the project, including the addition of three new open spaces, retaining more trees, and providing better access for people with a disability.

We also sought community feedback on the proposed landscaping which is now being considered as designs are finalised.

Will the rail line be any quieter once works are completed?

Most of the noise experienced from rail operations comes from the train wheels running along the tracks, and the older rail lines with imperfections in the track can be noisier than the newer lines. Lowering the tracks and removing the level crossings also means there will be less noise overall - with the noise from the train wheels absorbed and reflected upwards by the walls of the trench, rather than transmitting directly towards residents. Additionally, removing the level crossings means less noise from the bells and fewer blasts of the train horn.

What will happen to the palm tree in the Surrey Hills Station car park?

The palm tree will be temporarily relocated to a specialist nursery where it will be carefully maintained while construction takes place. At the conclusion of the project, the palm tree will be returned and incorporated in the landscaping close to its original location.

More information available in our news item.

Will the underpass at Robinson Road be retained after the grade separation at Union Road, Surrey Hills?

The rail line will return to existing track level around the middle of Sunbury Crescent, prior to the Robinson Road underpass and no changes are required to the Robinson Road underpass.

A drop-off zone is planned for the south side of Montrose Street. What plans have been made to stop passengers and commuters using the parking on the northern side of Montrose Street?

There are 3 drop-off areas in the designs for the new Union Station. The Montrose Street drop-off area makes it easier for passengers to access the new station from north of the rail line and discourages informal drop-offs in local streets.

Parking on the north side of Montrose Street is currently restricted to 2-hour parking. Parking restrictions are set by local councils and any changes in Montrose Street would be a matter for the City of Boroondara. The project is working with both local Councils to investigate potential traffic calming treatments in local streets.

What is the width of the bridges over the rail line at Union Road and Mont Albert Road?

The bridge over Mont Albert Road is approximately 28m wide across the trench.

The bridge over Union Road is approximately 38m wide across the trench, taking into account the extra open space on Union Road.

Where will the new bus stops be located and what routes will use them?

The existing bus stops on Union Road will be moved slightly and will continue to be serviced by the route 612 bus. On Windsor Crescent, the bus stops for the route 766 bus will be moved closer to the new Union Station. The project scope also includes new bus stops at Mont Albert Road, and these are for a future bus route.

What are the details of the upcoming works and what are the potential noise impacts for the July and remaining works in 2022?

Details regarding upcoming works can be found here on the Mont Albert project page.

To mitigate noise impacts during scheduled works, we will:

• use muffled reversing alarms on our vehicles and machines where possible
• maintain a buffer zone between work areas and homes
• use temporary noise barriers and enclosures at the site of noisy works
• keep our machinery in good working order.

During times when the rail corridor and Union Road and Mont Albert Road are closed the works are undertaken on a 24/7 basis to keep the closures to a minimum. Outside of these times, works are scheduled during the daytime as much as possible, generally from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 3pm Saturdays

We also use noise modelling to predict the levels of noise that residents will experience during the works and offer residents alternative temporary accommodation if the noise levels are expected to be excessive. Any residents expected to experience high levels of noise at night will be contacted by the project team. If you have any questions about noise from the works, please contact us on 1800 105 105.

Where will bikes be able to cross at Union Rd and Mont Albert Road once the project is complete?

Bikes will be able to cross Union and Mont Albert roads at the new signalised pedestrian crossings on both roads.

Will there be any changes to train services once the new station opens?

Combining the stations provides the opportunity to optimise the timetable so that more services can stop at the new station. The new timetable will be confirmed before the new Union Station opens.

What is the purpose of the pedestrian path between High Street and the train line as shown in the latest plans?

The purpose of the pedestrian path between 2 High Street and the rail line is to provide pedestrian access to the Mont Albert heritage plaza from High Street.

What is the height of the trench barriers above ground and what will the screening look like?

The concrete barriers are around 1m high, and the screening will sit approximately 1m on top of that.

The screens will be a pale green, consistent with feedback received from the community.

Note that some sections of the screens will be taller – for example, in some locations the screens need to be higher to prevent people climbing onto new rail infrastructure.

What are the dimensions of the new Mont Albert heritage plaza?

The new Mont Albert heritage plaza will connect Beresford Street and High Street to the Hamilton Street shopping village.

The section of the plaza that covers the rail trench is approximately 32 by 15 metres, as shown in the diagram below.

The plaza includes planting and an open grassed area. The space will also feature the old Mont Albert Station building on the northern edge of the plaza, rotated 180 degrees so that it maintains its relationship with the rail line. There will also be room for a community garden to be grown and maintained by the local community.

Will a new pedestrian crossing be built near the station concourse, and will the cyclist path be separate from the pedestrian path?

There are pedestrian crossings located on Windsor Crescent and Montrose Street near the main Station concourse and on Lorne Parade near the Mont Albert station entrance. There is a combined pedestrian and cyclist path running from Windsor Crescent to Churchill Street and separate pedestrian and cyclist paths running along Windsor Crescent, ending at Lorne Parade. There will also be separate pedestrian paths at the Mont Albert Road end of Lorne Parade for access to the Mont Albert station entrance, and on Churchill Street for access to the Mont Albert heritage plaza.

Why is the playground so small? Who is making the decision on the design, LXRP or the council?

The design for Lorne Parade Reserve (both open space and play space) have been developed based on local community feedback received by the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), as well as with input from local Council who will maintain these areas in the future. The play space is consistent with that of a local level classified play space (within the City of Whitehorse) and will focus on play experiences for younger and slightly older primary aged children. Some elements of nature play have been built into the play space, along with play equipment that will provide for a range of play related learnings and challenges.

The following play equipment is being considered for use in the play space in Lorne Parade Reserve:

You can read more about the rejuvenated Lorne Parade Reserve in our consultation report.

What is the station distance from homes?

The closest residential building is a garage that is around 9m from the station.

What are the disturbances expected from train announcements?

Noise from the station will comply with the limits set out by the EPA in a standard known as the State Environment Protection Policy (Control of Noise from Commerce, Industry and Trade) No. N–1 (SEPP N–1). Speakers at the station will be directed away from residents and the volume will be adjusted at night when the background noise levels are lower. Noise from the trains will be lower with the trains running in the trench, and with the level crossings removed there will be no more bells and fewer blasts of the train horn.