Say hello to your new Glenroy Station

We’re getting rid of the dangerous and congested level crossing at Glenroy Road by lowering the rail line under the road, as well as building a new Glenroy Station.

We’re busy refining the look and feel of the station precinct, taking on board community feedback from May when you told us what you want to see in the new station precinct. In the meantime, we want to introduce concept designs for the new Glenroy Station.

The Station will be the heart of the precinct, creating a welcoming local destination while also improving the travel experience for the nearly 4000 people who use the station each day. You can read more about the features of the new station in this community update.

Works update

Early works for the Glenroy Level Crossing Removal Project are now underway an you may notice some more construction activity and workers in the area.

The new Glenroy Station

Located in the centre of the bustling Glenroy shopping precinct, the new Glenroy Station will provide a modern gateway for people travelling to and from the area as well as improving local connections to key destinations in Glenroy.

Designed by award-winning firm, Genton Architecture, the new station will deliver a safer and more modern travelling experience.

The ground level station concourse will allow for unrestricted access across the rail line, connecting Post Office Place and Hartington Street for the first time in 100 years. Improved landscaping in the station precinct will create a welcoming area for people to visit and enjoy.

We’ll build the station on the new rail alignment, slightly east of the current rail line. This means we can keep the existing station open and trains running for as long as possible during construction.

The new station will feature:

• new facilities and a comfortable waiting room at concourse level including a view south to the city skyline
• improved access with 2 lifts and stair access to each platform
• sheltered, undercover platform seating areas
• improved lighting, hearing loops and security cameras
• new pocket park
• increased secure bike storage
• passenger facilities.

The design recognises the unique character of Glenroy with the use of colour, material and texture.

Drawing from underground basalt rock, part of the Western Victoria Volcanic Plain, the third largest in the world, the design reflects the local volcanic sand and clay soil, rich in brown and red colours.

Inspiration was also taken from the post-war architecture featuring an abundance of brick veneer, represented heavily in the Glenroy community.

Major works begin soon

To help us prepare for major construction, we’ve started early works in and around the local area to help us prepare to excavate the new rail trench, remove the level crossing and build the new Glenroy Station.

You may notice:

• temporary road closures, detours and traffic management
• more construction vehicles on local roads
• noise from machinery and construction materials.

To complete works efficiently and minimise impacts, we may need to work outside normal construction hours at times. We’ll inform affected residents and businesses in advance of works and advise of any potential impacts.

Your safety is our primary concern, so we ask that you follow any changed traffic and pedestrian conditions and obey any detours.

Rock breaking

Our geotechnical investigations revealed the presence of basalt rock throughout the rail corridor in Glenroy.

Basalt rock is an extremely hard and tough igneous rock, sometimes several times stronger than concrete. This rock will need to be excavated before we can dig the rail trench.

As with any major construction project, excavation can cause noise and vibration. Special equipment is used to excavate the basalt rock in the area, with works taking significantly longer to complete compared to excavating soil, sand or clay.

We will reduce noise and vibration impacts from the rock breaking by:

• minimising works outside of normal construction hours as much as possible
• maintaining a buffer zone between our work and homes
• using temporary noise barriers, noise blankets and enclosures at the site of any noisy works.

We have also undertaken noise and vibration monitoring at different locations along the project area and will continue to do so during our works so we can assess the impacts to residents.

As we get closer to major works starting, we’ll provide more details about our construction.

We're moving in

In the last month you may have noticed some crews setting up our site offices at the corner of Glenroy Road and Blenheim Street, east of the level crossing.

This involved laying and compacting crushed rock to support the 15 temporary site sheds that were installed by crane.

We'll use these site offices for the duration of the project.

Saving geraniums

One of the constraints with removing the Glenroy Road level crossing is a population of rare and threatened geraniums growing next to the rail corridor.

Once thought to be extinct, these geraniums are protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and are only found in grasslands in north-western Melbourne.

The project team has worked on a number of measures to protect the species, including:

• collecting seeds from the current population in Glenroy
• donating seeds and cuttings to local nurseries
• developing a long-term plan for protecting the geraniums in Glenroy.

These measures will minimise the impact to the existing geraniums and support the survival of this rare species.

What's going on under Waterloo Road?

You may have noticed a section of Waterloo Road has been fenced off near the intersection of Glenroy Road. This has allowed us to set up a work zone for some underground activities.

To prepare for the new Glenroy Station, we need to excavate an underground area along Waterloo Road for drainage systems. This will be completed by a process known as micro tunnelling.

How does micro tunnelling work?

2. Once the entry shaft is complete, the jacking rig and micro tunnelling machine is lowered into the shaft. The slurry separating system, which manages the excavated material, is installed on site.

3. The tunnel boring machine begins to bore a tunnel 1.5m in diameter through the ground 8m below the road. As it progresses, concrete pipe sections are lowered into the shaft to reinforce it.

4. As the machine progresses, the material excavated, called spoil, is pumped back out of the tunnel and up the shaft to the slurry separating system. This is where hard elements like rock and clay are separated for removal.

5. The machine continues to bore underground for another 370m. Concrete reinforcement sections are lowered into the tunnel, and spoil is piped out, separated and taken away by truck. An exit shaft is also excavated to allow the machine to be removed once the boring is complete.

Project timeline

*Timeline above subject to change.