Questions addressed during webinar

Construction

What impacts will construction have on the local area?

As with any major construction project, there will be times when our work activities unavoidably impact residents and businesses close to the project.

Impacts vary during construction but can include noise, dust, vibration, vegetation removal, changes to road conditions and pedestrian access routes, buses replacing trains, work vehicles and machinery accessing local roads and changes to parking and pedestrian routes.

We will minimise noise and disruption where possible, in line with Environment Protection Authority Victoria guidelines.

We use dust mitigation measures, such as dust suppression carts and street sweepers, and air quality will be monitored throughout our works.

There will be changes to traffic and pedestrian access routes at times. We will have traffic management in place to assist you to move through the area safely.

To keep trains running throughout most of our works, we will build a temporary track next to Como Parade East. Construction of the temporary track will begin from mid-2023 north of Warrigal Road, at Rogers Street, Mentone and finish south of Parkers Road, around Peter Avenue, Parkdale, tying into the existing track at both ends.

A major benefit of the temporary track is that it allows us to work along the existing rail alignment to build a central rail bridge and new Parkdale Station with minimal disruption to rail passengers, local traders and the community. The central rail bridge design also allows us to plant more trees and greenery on both sides of the elevated rail line, providing screening along Como Parade East and West, and minimises the visual bulk and overshadowing from the rail bridge.

Until April 2023, we will be carrying out early works, such as utility relocations. During this time, there will be temporary impacts to local roads and car parking, as well as changes to pedestrian routes.

From mid-2023, you'll start to see more construction activity in and around the rail corridor when we begin major construction to build the temporary track. The majority of work will occur along Como Parade East and West.

We will provide the community with information in advance of disruptions and our community engagement team will be working with the community throughout the project to address questions and concerns.

Will you be doing any night works?

A major benefit of the temporary track is that it allows the majority of our works to take place during the day. These works will generally take place from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays. There will be some periods when night works are required. We anticipate that this will be for about 2 weeks in late 2023 and 3 weeks in late 2024, with some occasional and shorter-term night works required. We will advise nearby properties of these works in advance.

We will offer relocation to eligible residents during major night-time construction works and will provide further information about this closer to the time.

Roads

Will there be any road closures during construction?

Some temporary lane and road closures will be necessary for us to safely build the temporary track, rail bridge and new station.

We will maintain access for road users and pedestrians where possible throughout our works. Where changes are required, we will provide advance notice, and ensure traffic management and signage is in place to ensure you can move around the area safely.

We are still finalising our construction schedule. We will share further information about temporary road closures once details are confirmed. We recommend you sign up for email updates to be kept informed.

How will construction affect access to schools in the area?

We are mindful of the need for access to schools and traffic patterns around school times, and this is being considered as we plan our traffic management to minimise disruption.

We are working closely with local schools to ensure that students, staff and parents can navigate the area safely.

Will there be any changes for pedestrians during construction?

The 2 pedestrian rail crossings between Warrigal Road and Parkers Road will be closed for short periods between now and June this year, and fully closed from June 2023 so that we can carry out works safely.

During early works, we are not anticipating any major changes for pedestrians. However, there may be some detours required when we are relocating services.

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. We recommend you sign up for email updates to be kept informed.

Will there be any changes to car parking during construction?

At times car parking closures around our construction area will be required for us to safely carry out works.

Some temporary changes to parking will be required once we begin relocating services from April this year. The rail side gravel parking areas, which were created as temporary off-set parking during our works to remove the Balcombe Road, Mentone level crossing, will be progressively closed.

We understand parking is important to the community and will communicate any changes to parking in advance, through signage and works alerts.

Rail

Will you be shutting the rail line during construction?

To keep trains running throughout most of our works, we will build a temporary track next to Como Parade East from mid-2023. Trains will run on the temporary track for around 12 months from October 2023 until it is dismantled in the second half of 2024.

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.

We will need to close the rail line for a short period for major works later this year, however our rail shutdowns will be much shorter than previous projects such as Glen Huntly, Cheltenham and Mentone and Edithvale, Bonbeach, and Chelsea. We will provide further information on this closer to time.

Where are you building the temporary track?

We are building the temporary rail track along Como Parade East from Rogers Street in Mentone to Peter Avenue in Parkdale. The track will be around 1.8 kilometres long and run-on ground level next to the existing track.

We will install concrete fencing and hoarding next to the track to separate the track from the roadway to ensure the safety of the community and our workers.

Construction of the track will commence in May 2023, starting north of Warrigal Road and finish south of Parkers Road. Trains will operate on the track for around 12 months from October 2023. The track will be dismantled in the second half of 2024.

As the temporary track and fencing will extend onto the roadway, we need to temporarily close 1 lane of Como Parade East.

Which way will traffic flow on como parade east when it becomes 1 way due to the temporary track?

From May 2023 to the second half of 2024, during construction and operation of the temporary rail track, Como Parade East will become 1-way to vehicles between Warrigal Road and Parkers Road, with traffic travelling south towards Parkers Road. This will allow us to retain parking on the residential side in this section of Como Parade East.

Como Parade East will be re-opened to 2-way traffic by late 2024.

Como Parade West will continue to operate in both directions.

What’s happening with power lines? Are they going underground?

During early works, we are removing the power poles from the rail side of Como Parade West, and undergrounding power along Como Parade West. Existing overhead powerlines on the residential side of Como Parade East will be untouched.

The existing power poles at the front of the townhouse block on Como Parade East will also remain.

Trees and Landscaping

Why are so many trees being removed and not just pruned?

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, including for the relocation of services, construction access and building the temporary track.

The central rail bridge design allows us to plant trees and greenery on both sides of the rail bridge to provide screening for both Como Parade East and West.

We understand trees are important to the community and have worked to retain trees where possible. For every tree we remove, we will plant a new tree.

At the end of the project, will be planting more than 100,000 trees, shrubs and grasses in the new open space and along the rail corridor, including some semi-mature trees, around 1.5-2.5 metres, and some up to 3 metres.

What are you going to plant to replace the gum trees you’re removing from Como Parade East?

We are still finalising our landscaping plans. We are looking to include flowering gums as part of our landscaping and replanting, including smaller varieties of flowering gums to replace the larger gums. The smaller varieties enable us to plant a diverse range of flowering gums.

Are you considering planting deciduous trees?

We are still finalising our landscaping plans. We anticipate deciduous trees will also form part of the planting and landscaping design.

Safety

How will you ensure the safety of local community members during construction?

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 on site ensuring all work is carried out in accordance with safety requirements.

We will fence off works areas and install barriers and hoarding to keep the community and our workers safe.

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

For more information about what to expect during construction, see our February 2023 community update