About the Construction Liaison Group

The purpose of the Construction Liaison Group (CLG) is for members to provide feedback on construction impacts and help inform the local community about any issues that may affect them during construction.

The CLG consists of volunteer community members who represent the views and interests of residents, and local community organisations. The CLG will continue throughout construction until the new rail bridge is finished, with a final follow-up meeting post completion.

Members will provide:

• a local perspective, particularly about managing construction impacts on the community
• information to the community about the project and its construction
• local knowledge for discussions about the construction program.

CLG Members:

• Anna Worsnop – local resident
• Garry Warren – local resident
• John Southwell – local resident
• Nina Earl – Friends of Bradshaw Bushland Reserve representative
• Genevieve Bond – Friends of Bradshaw Bushland Reserve support representative
• Paul Taranto – Rotary Club of Mordialloc representative and local resident
• Sophia Grey – local resident
• Michael Hermitage – local resident
• Alistair Thom – local resident
• Christopher Reeves, local resident and Traders Association representative
• Fiona McDougall, local resident and Kingston Residents Association representative

Meeting Summaries

Meeting One – 3 April 2023

The first Parkdale Construction Liaison Group (CLG) meeting was held in person on 3 April 2023 at the Parkdale Bowls Club. The meeting opened with welcomes, formalities and introductions.

Obligations as per the Terms of Reference were noted. Members were reminded of the purpose of the CLG and their responsibility in representing community views and taking information back to the wider community through their networks.

Members were provided with the trees and vegetation fact sheet and the February community update.

All members introduced themselves, outlining their connection to Parkdale and their interest in joining the CLG.

Project overview:

A summary of the project design and features was provided, as per the information publicly available.

Upcoming construction:

The construction team outlined upcoming construction works:

• Next 6 months will involve trenching works for new cables and services
• Combined services route (CSR) on Como Parade West/United Energy works
• Barriers will be installed around work areas to keep community and workers safe
• Drainage works on Como Parade East will change the current operation of the street for traffic and pedestrians (information detailed in April works alert)
• Temporary slew track to be built to allow Frankston Line trains to continue to run throughout most of the project and construction of the rail bridge in the place of the existing rail alignment, allowing planting to occur on both sides
• Future CLG meetings will cover the 2023 and 2024 construction periods in more detail.

Communications overview:

The SPA team outlined communications and engagement activities to date, including the notification process, distribution of project updates, and trader briefings.

An overview of the Parkdale trader workshop and mention of a Schools Liaison Group program was provided.

The CLG was encouraged to promote the 1800 number, contact centre email and availability of the onsite SPA communications team to respond to community concerns.

Actions:

1. Summary notes to be uploaded on website following the first CLG meeting
2. Inform CLG members about date and format of next meeting via email
3. Understand more about topics of interest for future CLG meetings. CLG is encouraged to email suggestions to the team so they can be considered for future meetings.
4. CLG members are encouraged to ask questions in between meetings via email or phone.

Summary of key question topics:

General project

Who is on the construction alliance for Parkdale?

The Southern Project Alliance (SPA) is made up of Acciona/Coleman Rail, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and LXRP.

Will the shared user path (SUP) be connected to the Mordialloc SUP?

Our project scope covers a certain area near and around the Parkdale Station precinct. The shared user path will begin near Rogers Street connecting with the Mentone Path, and end near White Street to connect with the pedestrian crossing. There are multiple options being investigated and there is a focus on creating linkages between projects. Future projects may continue to connect the path to Mordialloc Station.

Construction

When will the station be closed and how often will trains run?

To keep trains running throughout most of our works, we will build a temporary slew track next to Como Parade East from mid-2023. Trains will run on the temporary track for around 12 months from October 2023, until the second half of 2024 when the rail bridge and new station opens.

Parkdale Station will be closed during this time, and trains will run express through the station. A shuttle bus will run between Mentone, Parkdale and Mordialloc stations for rail passengers to access Parkdale.

How will you achieve such a quick construction timeframe?

The project will be completed by 2025, and we expect the total construction period to last 18 to 24 months.

SPA has experience delivering LX projects such as Chelsea and Edithvale. These project teams are now coming to Parkdale with their knowledge and systems.

When will machinery be seen in the area?

From mid-2023, you'll start to see more construction activity in and around the rail corridor when we begin building the temporary track. In 2024 we'll begin to build the new rail bridge and new Parkdale Station.

We will be building some of the rail bridge and new station offsite and then putting it in place once ready. This is to reduce the amount of machinery being on site throughout construction.

How will the project navigate around electricity at Warrigal Road?

Electricity works are already underway at Warrigal Road. This involves relocating power cables underground on the rail side between Barry Street and Third Street. For more information, read our latest works notice.

Will there be any power outages and how much notice will be given?

Power outages may be required for works throughout construction. Zinfra (electricity infrastructure contractors) will contact residents directly if their service is impacted. For any queries regarding electricity works, please contact Zinfra directly on 9173 6437.

The project team will work closely with United Energy to ensure they meet their 7 day obligatory notice period. For more information, read our latest works notice.

How will people access Parkdale Village during construction?

There will be changes to traffic and pedestrian access routes at times. We will have traffic management in place to ensure vehicles and pedestrians can move around the area safely.

During major construction, we aim to maintain pedestrian access across Parkers and Warrigal roads for most of the time. More details around any specific detours will be available closer to the date.

For the trader precinct, we maintain pedestrian access to businesses at all times, and provide clear paths and signage to direct people to local businesses.

A shuttle bus will run between Mentone, Parkdale and Mordialloc stations for rail passengers to access Parkdale. We are investigating further opportunities to support access around the area during construction.

How will local businesses be supported?

Supporting local traders is important to the project. We have a team dedicated to helping local businesses during and after construction.

We will continue to engage with traders throughout the life of the project, working on managing impacts due to construction.

We always maintain pedestrian access to businesses and provide clear paths and signage to direct people to local businesses.

We strongly advocate for shopping locally and we often partner with local businesses to provide goods and services for our workforce.

Trees and vegetation

Why is tree removal required? Are you transplanting trees or just removing them?

In order for us to safely carry out works to build the new rail bridge and new Parkdale Station, we need to remove trees that will be impacted by the works, allowing for the relocation of utility services, construction access and building the temporary rail track.

Minimising tree and vegetation removal is a priority as we develop designs and during construction. However, some tree and vegetation removal is necessary to safely build the rail bridge and new station.

We know trees are a valued feature of the bayside area and we will work with landscape designers and arborists to only remove what is necessary and cannot be preserved.

We will be temporarily relocating trees along the rail corridor, they will be cared for and continue to grow off-site and will be returned at project completion as part of the new, greener rail corridor.

Seeds have also been collected with a view to propagating for planting when the project is finished.

For more information, please see our trees and vegetation fact sheet.

Has any thought been given to retaining tree trunks for sculpting?

We will work closely with City of Kingston and local community groups to ensure that removed vegetation is repurposed for new uses or environmental initiatives.

Some of the opportunities we’re exploring include:

• providing logs for use in gardens and parks
• donating timber for use by artists or in community projects
• using mulch in parks and gardens.

Large tree trunks will be held at a facility in Chelsea Heights and will be incorporated into the final design of the open space.

The project team has reached out to local community groups and schools to provide opportunities for timber reuse and will continue to engage with opportunities. It can be used for a variety of purposes such as mulch, nesting boxes and habitat refuges.

We welcome other suggestions for reuse opportunities in the local area.

Safety

How will safety be managed?

Safety is a core part of level crossing removal projects and is embedded into every aspect of our project.

During construction, we have safety officers onsite ensuring all work is carried out in accordance with safety requirements. We will fence off work areas and install barriers and hoarding to keep the community and our workers safe.

We will also have wayfinding signage and traffic management in place to help you move safely through the area when there are changes to pedestrian and vehicle routes.

How can we report any safety issues?

All level crossing removal projects have a 24/7 telephone call centre with staff on hand to answer questions and provide access to project staff to assist with enquiries.In addition, there are other channels that you can use to get in touch with us and find out more information.

Call: 1800 105 105

Email: contact@levelcrossings.com.au

Social media: @levelcrossings

Meeting Two – 5 June 2023

The second CLG meeting was held on Monday 5 June and opened with welcomes, formalities and introductions.

Four members were apologies for the first meeting (on Monday 3 April) and there was one apology for this meeting.

Members were reminded of the purpose of the CLG and their responsibility in representing community views and taking information back to the wider community through their networks. New members introduced themselves, outlining their connection to Parkdale and their interest in joining the CLG.

Actions from the previous meeting were noted and resolved.

Project overview:

The construction team provided a summary of:

• 24/7 May works from Friday 26 May to Monday 29 May
• Other works completed in May, including drainage works, vegetation removal and service relocations

Upcoming construction:

The construction team outlined upcoming construction works, including:

• Continuing drainage and utility works along Como Parade East and Como Parade West
• Electricity works, including relocating cables underground and removing poles
• Tree transplanting and removal along Como Parade East and Como Parade West
• Closure of Antibes Street / Seventh Street pedestrian crossing
• Continuing combined services route (CSR) relocations on Como Parade West
• Continuing drainage works on Como Parade East
• Early works to prepare for the temporary track
• June construction blitz from 22 – 30 June where works will be 24/7

Temporary track
The construction team outlined why a temporary track is being built and what to expect during construction, as per publicly available information.

Communication overview
The team outlined communications and engagement activities to date, including distribution of project updates via monthly area and work alerts, e-updates, SMS alerts and door knocks.

Information will also be shared through regular email updates to the School Liaison Group and meetings with local groups including Friends of Bradshaw Bushland Reserve (FoBBR).

The team outlined trader engagement to date, including regular check-ins, Trader Association representative meetings, fortnightly email updates with works information, trader webinars and the trader support campaign being implemented this year.

Actions:

1. Project team to share project contact details again with CLG group.
2. Project team to follow up with Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) to confirm instructions for emergency vehicle access around the works area.
3. Project team to follow up with FoBBR when drainage and design plans are confirmed.
4. CLG members to submit topics they would like to hear about at future meetings.
5. Project team to follow up with the environmental team to investigate reports of overgrown grass near CSR works
6. Project team to send reminder email to traders regarding free photography session.

Information to be followed up by the project team and shared at the next CLG meeting:

• Update on temporary track construction progress, including location timing near trader area.
• Provide travel advice for rail commuters during upcoming rail shutdowns, shuttle bus operations and how to get around the area when Parkdale Station closes in October.

Meeting Three – 7 August 2023

The third CLG meeting was held on Monday 7 August and opened with welcomes, formalities and introductions.

There were 3 apologies for this meeting. Actions from the previous meeting were noted and resolved.

Project overview
The project team outlined upcoming construction works in August, including:

• ongoing establishment of the temporary slew track in the rail corridor
• relocation of services that power the trains along Como Parade West
• drainage and utility works along Como Parade East and Como Parade West
• electricity works, including relocating cables underground and removing poles
• tree transplanting on Como Parade West near Parkdale Station
• installation of lift shafts north of the station platform.

The team provided a summary of:

• 24/7 June works from Thursday 22 June to Friday 30 June
• other works completed in July, including continued drainage, utility and service relocation works, ground foundation works in preparation for the temporary track and electricity works.

Trader engagement

The team outlined trader engagement to date, including professional photography, directional footpath signage, Trader Association representative meetings and the ‘Winter Wonderland’ Spend and Win competition.

An overview of upcoming trader engagement activities was provided, including digital marketing training for traders and additional trader support campaigns later in the year.

Schools engagement

The project team noted that the first School Liaison Group (SLG) meeting was held in July. A summary of upcoming engagement with schools was given, including nest box painting activities, school pop ups and continued school check ins.

Communication overview
The team summarised communications and engagement to date, including the first SLG meeting and project signage installed on fencing. It was noted that community feedback received is being addressed, including concerns regarding on-street parking and project noise.

Actions:

• Project team to update CLG on car parking design once final designs are available.
• Project team to reconvene the Parkdale Open Space Advisory Panel (POSAP) group once final designs are available.
• Project team to share information and video about existing design plans.

Meeting Four – 9 October 2023

For the fourth meeting, members went on a guided site tour to view construction activities in Parkdale.

The project team guided the members and stopped at:

• Como Parade West at Warrigal Road
• Rogers Street/Cremona Street pedestrian crossing
• Como Parade East to view preparations for the temporary track
• Parkdale Station
• Parkers Road

The project team outlined current activities required to complete the temporary rail track, including laying ballast, joining the temporary rail track to the existing track and completing drainage and piling works in the rail corridor.

Members were also briefed on upcoming traffic management plans, pedestrian access around the rail corridor and key construction impact mitigations such as dust and vibration management.

Meeting Five – 28 November 2023

The fifth CLG meeting was held on Tuesday 28 November and opened with welcomes, formalities and introductions.

There were 5 apologies for this meeting. Actions from the previous meeting were noted and resolved.

Design overview

The project team outlined the key aspects of the final design including the overhead rail design allows for increased open space, greenery and the linear park, including:

• better connection of east and west use including the shared use path, better integration for buses, secure bike parking and 6 pick up and drop off areas.
• new nautical design element with 3 lookout windows on the platform to provide view of Port Phillip Bay and maintain the connection between the station and the nearby beach
• Parkdale Station building was unable to be re-purposed due to fire damage, a stereoscopic viewing machine with photo of old station would be installed to help celebrate its history.

Other key features outlined included:

• Basketball court, playground and open-air gym
• Colour palette of rail bridge and pillars based on community feedback
• Pedestrian crossings and connectivity
• New passenger car park and upgraded parking on Como Parade West

The team provided work summaries

October and November works:

• October was setting up for major works the occupation was successful from a project perspective
• November works involved pumping concrete into piles and getting formwork ready for the foundation pillars for the rail bridge (called “substructures”) – these works are on track to be finished by Christmas

January works:

• focus on starting construction of the “super structures” and trucking in parts of the concrete bridge in sections
• some upcoming impacts on roads, but the project is looking at ways to minimise the impacts as much as possible.
• other upcoming works include:
  • Starting to build supports that will form substructure of bridge
  • Overnight works to install concrete bridge spans to form the super structure
  • Service works to complete drainage on Como Parade West

Trader update

Team outlined recent and upcoming engagement including:

• Project was able to open pedestrian crossing at Parkers Road to assist with the trader Halloween event and has run a number of trader social media training sessions
• Upcoming trader activities including Christmas promotion and summer activation in early 2024.

School update

Team advised that the School Liaison Group prior to October and November works was successful and the next meeting will be in early 2024. Project also received positive feedback around works being rescheduled to accommodate VCE English exam at Mentone Grammar.

Resident and community

Team provided reminder about how the project team engages with affected residents and how to contact the project team.

Actions:

• Project team to confirm access/egress of pick-up/drop-off and car parks
• Project team to confirm the number and location of public toilets around the station
• Project team to provide CLG members with talking points about the location/function of station buildings
• KCC and project team to confirm parking timing restrictions
• Project team to respond to question about potential lighting modifications for wildlife and plants
• Project team to provide information about closures to share with traders and the community
• Project team to respond to palm tree enquiry
• Project team to come back to CLG with more information about maintenance responsibilities

Meeting Six – 26 February 2024

The sixth CLG meeting was held on Monday 26 February and opened with welcomes, formalities and introductions.

There were 3 apologies for this meeting. Two actions from the previous meeting were noted and resolved and 1 remains in progress.

Design questions

The project team outlined the design features of:

• Rail passenger car parking
• Access to pick-up and drop off areas

This was a part of the previous CLG’s actions.

Project update

An overview of how the station is built:

• Construction process
• Key terminology

January and February works:

• Preparing for delivery of rail bridge sections, including pouring concrete piers and crossheads, and other civil works.

March and April works:

• Delivery and install of bridge beam parts. This will be ongoing until May.
• Some upcoming impacts on roads, with the project looking to minimise the impacts as much as possible.
• Other upcoming works include:
  • Nightworks – Sunday to Friday until early May,
  • intermittent short traffic stoppages – Como Parade West, and
  • intermittent closure of the pedestrian crossings over the rail line on Parkers and Warrigal roads in April, when bridge parts are being lifted into place.

Trader update

Team outlined recent and upcoming engagement including:

• Say the Word trader activation initiative where 12 non-food and beverage businesses were supported.
• Donation to Epilepsy Foundation Op Shop from project barbecue with around $1300 raised from the workforce.
• Other local trader support.
• Regular voucher purchases and morning teas for workforce.
• Roses and biscuits were purchased from traders for Valentine's Day.
• Dog biscuits were purchased from traders and given out to the community to promote awareness of a February rail occupation and the start of bridge section installation.

School update

Team advised that the School Liaison Group will meet in March.

Resident and community

Team outlined the upcoming guided walking tours, which are being held monthly until July.

Actions:

• Kingston City Council to confirm parking restrictions closer to project completion
• Provide sample of station screening to the next meeting
• Review the safety of shuttlebus drop off points with Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM)
• Provide feedback to MTM about visibility of shuttle bus signage
• Investigate and remove litter around the environmental protection zone
• Review traffic management arrangements and investigate signage
• Set up a meeting with Friends of Bradshaw Bushland Reserve (FoBBR) to discuss works in this area and provide an update on use of nesting boxes
• Respond to enquiry about reinstating palm trees
• Confirm lighting plans and how station lighting will be powered