When we develop designs our number one priority is safety, but we also consider rail operations, land constraints, and engineering requirements.
On any project, we need to ensure that new stations can be safely accessed by passengers who walk, cycle, drive or travel by bus or taxi.
The best way to improve safety in a station precinct is to separate everyone as much as possible.
Our design prioritises pedestrian access, with 82% of train users arriving at Bell Station on foot.
Yes, there will be around 2km of new open space created as part of this project, including a large landscaped area to the south of the Bell Station car park.
Extending Bell Station's forecourt will generate more open space between the new station and Bell Street with more planting, seating, and greenery.
There will also be good connections to open space along the rail corridor.
We’ve been working with the Preston community since 2019 to get input, ideas and feedback to help shape the project.
Our consultation focuses on elements of the project the community can influence – like open space design and function.
In late 2019 we consulted on what the community wanted to see delivered as part of the project and what they valued in the local area. Community members, stakeholders and traders were invited to provide feedback via online feedback through Engage Vic, meetings, and presentations.
In April 2020, we ran online consultation seeking ideas for the new open space being created underneath the rail bridge and we received more than 700 contributions. We then worked with the Preston Open Space Advisory Panel to design these new open spaces to include active and passive spaces with extensive native planting and good connections to other local areas.
We released the open space designs in December 2020 and had over 200 responses to an online survey, with positive feedback from the community about how the concept designs respond to Preston's history, culture and character.
Many aspects of a project are based on things such as operational requirements, engineering considerations, ground conditions, traffic flow, and urban design outcomes and we can't consult on these elements.
The project will remove 4 dangerous and congested level crossings including the notorious Bell Street crossing. When these boom gates are gone in 2022 it will mean Bell Street is level crossing free, reducing congestion and travel time on one of Melbourne’s busiest arterial roads.
Providing entry to the Bell Station car park via Railway Place East and Gertrude Street, with exit from Adeline Street, improves the flow of traffic and reduces the number of cars on each street. We will install variable message signage on a local access street to indicate when the station car park is full.
Our traffic analysis shows there won’t be an increase in traffic volumes in the area.
To create space for the new car park we are relocating the Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) maintenance depot. This will reduce the number of trucks and heavy vehicles in the area, improving safety and amenity for residents.
Alternative options for access to the car park were examined, including via Garnet St or Blanch St. These options were found to increase the risk of accidents due to conflicts between cars and pedestrians. Our design provides a safer and greener station precinct with all the functional requirements of a modern metropolitan train station.
The land is available to us to use during construction so that we have enough space to work safely but this land is not available to the project to incorporate into design.
While land along rail corridor is owned by the Victorian Government, not all vacant land is available to use on level crossing projects.
The future use of the land is not dependent on the design of the level crossing removal and the new station.
This future use will be informed by community consultation and engagement and the State Government will not make a decision prior to the public having an opportunity to have their say.