The Victorian Government is investing $530 million to make further improvements on the Hurstbridge Line.

These improvements will enable more train services, less crowding on peak trains and better connections to public transport in Melbourne’s north east.

The first stage of the Hurstbridge line upgrade delivered a brand new station in Rosanna and removed 2 dangerous and congested level crossings at Alphington and Rosanna.

The second stage will duplicate 2 sections of rail track between Greensborough and Montmorency, and Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen, and upgrade rail infrastructure to increase reliability and enable more trains to run.

The project will also build a new station at Greensborough as well as upgrade Montmorency station.

We know that each community is unique and want your thoughts on the style of the stations, what types of materials and what types of plants you would like to see in your local area. There are also opportunities to incorporate public art in the station precinct, so that the stations reflect the unique characteristics of your community. Read further for details on how to provide your feedback.

More regular timetable with services on average:

• every 7 minutes from Greensborough
• every 10 minutes from Montmorency and Eltham
• every 20 minutes from Diamond Creek, Wattle Glen and Hurstbridge
• extra services along the line.

Upgrades at Diamond Creek

As part of the project, a new pedestrian connection will be constructed at the Parkway Drain behind Diamond Valley College. This will enable safe access across the duplicated rail line for students and pedestrians.

Minor upgrades will also be made to Platform 2 at Diamond Creek Station. Currently the platform is used sparingly, however once the duplicated track is constructed, the majority of city bound trains will depart from Platform 2.

The platform will be widened for safety, with passenger shelters installed, as well as ramps to the platform.

Site investigations

We have undertaken early site investigations as part of planning for this project since 2019.

Early works will continue within the Hurstbridge Line rail corridor between Greensborough and Hurstbridge and in surrounding road reserves in the coming months.

The works will include locating services such as electricity and telecommunications, geotechnical investigations and ecological assessments. These investigations will help inform our overall design and construction of this project.

Impacted residents will receive works alerts to let them know when these works will be occurring.

Vegetation

Tree and vegetation removal is a necessary part of major construction. Reducing our impact on vegetation is a major priority for the project. Arborist assessments will be undertaken to identify which trees will need to be removed, which can be retained and checking health of vegetation. We are constantly reviewing our design and construction methods to reduce the number of trees that need to be removed. These efforts will be ongoing as we move from a planning and design phase into construction later this year.

New planning approvals process

The Minister for Planning has introduced a new Particular Provision – Clause 52.03 Level Crossing Removal Project into all planning schemes across Victoria. In light of this change, LXRP will no longer be seeking to amend the Banyule, Darebin, Nillumbik and Yarra Planning Schemes (Amendment GC155) to facilitate this project.

The way we consider the feedback you have already provided will not change.

Share your ideas about your new Greensborough and Montmorency stations

As we continue planning for the new station precinct at Greensborough and the upgraded station at Montmorency, we want to hear from you.

We want to get your feedback on design elements, including:

• overall look and feel
• materials
• plants
• public artwork.

You can share your views by completing our design survey online, at Engage Victoria.

We will be hosting 2 online engagement events if you would like to hear more about station design elements or ask questions.

A dedicated Greensborough Station session will be held on 27 October and a dedicated Montmorency Station session will be held on 28 October.

Please register for these events.

If you would prefer to provide the feedback in a hardcopy submission form, please call 1800 105 105 to request a form to be mailed to you.

The survey is open until 5pm Friday 6 Nov 2020.

Station precinct designs

In late 2019 you told us what’s important to you when you move around the station precinct and surrounding areas.

Some of the key themes we heard were:

• safer and more practical station designs
• station designs that fit within the local character of the area
• better connections between the station, pedestrian paths, local streets and local transport

We are taking your feedback on board. We heard you want better pathways, connections and access to the station, as well as practical station designs with better lighting. These are all important aspects of the design development of the new station precincts.

It’s very hilly at Greensborough, so we're looking at how we make getting around easier and more direct with wider and flatter footpaths and removing the steep ramps to make them safer and more accessible for all pedestrians. At Montmorency, we will be building a second track and second platform as part of our duplication works, as well as relocating the pedestrian access across the rail corridor to line up with Were Street and the centre of town.

We have developed a set of urban design guidelines for the project to respond to the unique local conditions, taking into account the surrounding landscape, connectivity, accessibility, safety and amenity. We also need to consider the latest rail safety, technical and construction requirements when designing new stations.

Given the natural surroundings of both Greensborough and Montmorency, minimising the impact of vegetation removal is considered as part of both project design and construction.

All these considerations, as well as the community’s feedback, are factored in as we progress to the next stage of designs.

Keeping in touch

The best way to stay up to date on the project and any developments is by signing up to email updates.

While we cannot conduct our usual community drop-in-sessions, there are still a number of ways you can engage with us on this project.

• subscribe to email updates and SMS alerts
• send us a private message on our Facebook page
• Contact our call centre on 1800 105 105 or contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au

Health and safety

The health and safety of our workers and community is our key priority as we continue works on the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade.

Project timeline

Mid to late 2019

• Site investigations
• Community consultation

Early 2020

• Site investigations
• Planning consultation

Late 2020

• Community consultation
• Final designs announced
• Construction begins

2022

• Works complete

* Timeline subject to change.

Next steps

The feedback from this round of consultation will help us refine aspects of the station design, including the look and feel of the station precinct.

Along with our continuing technical investigations, we'll use your feedback to further progress the design for the project.

We'll be coming back out to the community before major works begin to share designs and show you how your feedback has been incorporated.

Visit our online engagement hub at Engage Victoria.