When designing our projects, we strive to improve safety, accessibility, amenity and functionality of each local area to leave a positive legacy for years to come.
We build transport infrastructure and community spaces across Melbourne that are safe and vibrant – great places to be. This involves many different disciplines and technical specialists working together, including engineering, construction, heritage, environment, architecture and urban design. We also seek feedback from local council and the community as we develop our designs.
Each level crossing has its own set of constraints and characteristics to consider when preparing to remove it as well as technical, heritage, environmental and community factors. Our multi-disciplinary approach to design development ensures we are building considered infrastructure, which not only meets the relevant standards but also leaves a long-lasting legacy for Melbourne.
Urban design is the practice of making these precincts work for you, including elements such as architecture, green space and pathways.
Urban design is important because it:
- makes a place easy to get around
- ensures that spaces are safe, comfortable, accessible and inclusive for all people
- responds to and shapes the local identity, character and spirit of places
- provides spaces that people want to be in
- provides sustainable precincts that can withstand extreme weather conditions.
We worked with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) and other government agencies to develop a consistent design approach for creating high quality spaces that capture the needs of the community, and are well-connected, accessible, safe and vibrant. This is called our Urban Design Framework.
Across all our projects, we work closely with Level Crossing Removal Project’s Urban Design Advisory Panel (UDAP), a panel of members working in government who have a particular expertise in design, urban planning or transport planning. UDAP uses the Urban Design Framework as a basis to provide expert, timely and valued advice and support to ensure high quality and integrated outcomes are achieved.
We’re building 2 new underpasses, one on Anderson Street and the other near Murray Street/Goulburn Street, providing more options for pedestrians and bike riders to safely cross the rail line and move around Yarraville.
The Anderson Street underpass will have stairs and lifts on either side of the rail line, providing safe access to the heart of the village. Stairs and lifts have been chosen for this location as they require less space to build, reducing impacts to existing and new community open space opportunities, heritage, nearby properties and trees.
The second underpass north of the station near Murray Street/Goulburn Street will have ramps and stairs, providing a brand-new connection across the rail line and giving bike riders, wheelchair and scooter users and families with prams another option to get around.
Constructing an underpass under the station precinct would have a high impact to Birmingham Street, with truncation of the road at Canterbury Street, impacting access to private property and loss of off-street, resident permit car parks.
It also has a high impact to the state-listed heritage Yarraville Railway Station complex with greater and more disruptive construction time likely to require long-term closure of Yarraville Station.
The area surrounding the Anderson Street level crossing is highly constrained, with limited space available to construct and accommodate new infrastructure.
Following initial community consultation in late 2025 and again in early 2026, we clearly heard that a ramp connection across the rail line was important to the community. Following months of detailed technical work it was determined that the best way to provide the community with safe, accessible options to cross the rail corridor, was to build 2 new underpasses featuring stairs and lifts at Anderson Street and ramps and stairs for the second underpass north of the station. This provides the best balance of benefits and impacts to the vibrant Yarraville village.
By building 2 new underpasses for pedestrians and bike riders, we:
- Build a shorter underpass with lifts and stairs at Anderson Street, which reduces impacts to open space, trees and heritage features.
- Provide a new alternative and convenient crossing point with ramps for residents, rail passengers and car park users coming from the north east.
- Enhance accessibility by creating an additional crossing point, reducing reliance on a single connection and increasing connectivity around the precinct. This also means during construction there will always be pedestrian and cyclist access across the rail line.
- Provide a ramp wide enough to comfortably accommodate pedestrian and bike riders, who won’t need to dismount from their bike when using the northern underpass ramps.
The underpass north of the station will have ramps and stairs, providing a brand-new connection across the rail line and giving cyclists, wheelchair and scooter users and families with prams another option to get around.
We chose to install stairs and lifts at the Anderson Street underpass as it requires less space to build and reduces impacts to community open space.
Out of stairs, lifts and ramps, ramps require the most room to construct and have the largest footprint. To build a pedestrian and cycling ramp to Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) compliant standards, they must achieve a 1 in 14 gradient, with landings every 9m to accommodate resting points, and a minimum clear width of 3m to allow enough space for bike riders, wheelchair and scooter users to pass safely.
The ramps at the new northern underpass, will be approximately 60m long and 4m wide.