We’ve been talking to the local community about our upgrade to the Geelong Line.

Earlier this year we asked the community to provide feedback on the Waurn Ponds Station Upgrade.

This project is part of the staged upgrade of the Geelong Line and the first step in delivering track duplication from South Geelong to Waurn Ponds to enable more frequent and reliable services for passengers.

The community provided feedback on the following aspects of the project:

How we engaged

• 525 conversations at Waurn Ponds Station
• 83 detailed survey responses received
• 92 conversations at Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre
• 490 subscribers received e-news updates
• 739 visits to the Waurn Ponds web page during the consultation period
• 400 letters and fact sheets distributed

The new second platform and additional track at Waurn Ponds Station will create enough space for trains to pass each other, allowing services to recover more quickly from disruptions and improving service reliability.

Construction on these upgrades will commence in 2020.

The Geelong Line Upgrade is part of the $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival program which is upgrading every regional passenger rail line in Victoria.

What we heard

We engaged with the Geelong community at local information sessions and station pop-ups, and through letterbox drops, providing information about the station upgrade, planning and environmental matters, and potential construction impacts. Below is a summary of what we heard.

Station Concept Designs

• The community welcomed the proposed additional track at Waurn Ponds Station, which will improve service reliability.
• We received positive feedback on the new platform with improved shelter and seating at the station, as well as better accessibility. More myki readers was a priority.
• The majority of the community was supportive of more sealed car parking to cater to Waurn Ponds’ growing population.
• CCTV coverage for car parks, walkways and platforms was welcomed. People requested plenty of lighting, especially for evening and night-time passengers.
• There was positive feedback about improved bicycle storage, with requests for this to be included on both sides of the station.
• The new accessible overpass with lifts and ramps was welcomed. Feedback emphasised the need for safer pedestrian walkways through the car park, as well as better connections to surrounding areas.

Community engagement

What we heard

The community is keen to see its feedback and values reflected in the final design of the station. People want more opportunities to have their say and stay informed, including on other projects in the Geelong region.

Our response

We’re committed to ongoing engagement with the community and using local knowledge to inform our projects. Feedback has and will continue to play an important role in the planning and development of the station upgrade. We’ll continue to work closely with other major projects in the area to coordinate our communications and engagement activities.

Safer and better stations

What we heard

Safety is a key priority for people, and this includes maintaining safe access to the station and surrounding areas during construction. Better lighting, formalising the unsealed parking areas and CCTV are seen as important for improving safety around the station.

Our response

Safety is our first priority, and we will work closely with our construction contractor and other key stakeholders to ensure the safety of workers and the community during the upgrade. Any temporary road closures and the movement of heavy equipment to and from the site will be managed under a Traffic Management Plan to ensure safety. We’ll give the community plenty of warning of any changes to traffic conditions. The upgrade will include formalising unsealed car parks, better lighting and more CCTV to improve safety.

Train service disruptions

What we heard

Minimising service disruptions during construction is important to people. Passengers would like advance notice of disruptions and to be informed of any service changes. During disruptions, an effective coach replacement service is important, with requests to minimise replacement services along the line.

Our response

We are committed to minimising disruptions to train services as much as possible during construction. We’ll make sure passengers are notified ahead of time about replacement services when these are needed and the community is kept informed of any other disruptions such as traffic or access changes. When trains are not running because of critical construction work, there will always be coach replacement services available.

Noise impacts

What we heard

People are concerned about noise and would like construction limited to daylight hours as much as possible.

Our response

We’ll limit construction to daylight hours where possible, but night works may be needed at times. We’ll always inform affected residents and businesses in advance about any construction noise that may impact them.

Environment

What we heard

Minimising vegetation removal and ensuring revegetation is undertaken using local native plants is important to the community. People want to see improved landscaping and amenity at the station to better reflect the surrounding coastal and Indigenous character of Waurn Ponds.

Our response

We’ll manage construction of the upgrade in line with the relevant environmental and planning laws and guidelines, to ensure we minimise any effects on flora and fauna. We’ll work with our construction contractor and the community on plans for revegetation and landscaping.

Construction impacts

What we heard

Community members are concerned about construction vehicle access and truck movements on local residential streets, with many emphasising the need to ensure safety for local residents, especially children. Other concerns included increased noise and dust, with requests to limit construction works to daylight hours to minimise impacts on residents.

Our response

We will minimise construction activities taking place out of hours. Where it is unavoidable we will notify nearby residents and businesses in advance and work with them to manage any impacts. We’ll also use a range of measures to manage potential impacts such as noise and dust, for example using water sprays for dust suppression. The project’s Traffic Management Plan will ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists.

Other feedback

Some of the responses we received related to other stages of the Geelong Line Upgrade or other projects in the Geelong region. Questions focused on removing level crossings near the station and extending rail services to Armstrong Creek and Torquay. Planning work is underway for the Waurn Ponds Duplication Project, a State and Federal government commitment to upgrade the Geelong Line by duplicating the track from South Geelong to Waurn Ponds, removing the level crossings at Fyans Street and Surf Coast Highway and upgrading South Geelong and Marshall stations. As part of the Regional Rail Revival, the Department of Transport is also undertaking planning for the Armstrong Creek transit corridor which will consider future land use and transport plans for this growing community.

Thank you

We’d like to thank everyone who provided feedback on the Geelong Line Upgrade. Your feedback will be considered in the planning and design process and we look forward to consulting with the community throughout the rest of the project.

What’s next for the Waurn Ponds Station upgrade

2020 – Construction- Construction will commence on the Waurn Ponds Station upgrade.

2022 – Project completion- The target completion date for the upgrade is 2021.