Initial and Early Works at Burwood

21 June 2023

Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a city and State-shaping project that will transform Victoria’s public transport system, connecting our suburbs and making travel easier and more convenient.

SRL East will connect our growing health, education, retail and employment precincts in Melbourne's east and south east between Cheltenham and Box Hill.

The new underground station at Burwood will deliver better access to one of Australia’s biggest universities for thousands of staff and students and connect locals to Melbourne’s train network – providing faster and more convenient access to key destinations across Melbourne.

A new tram stop right outside the station on Burwood Highway, near Deakin University, will make interchanges quick and easy, providing a new rail connection for local workers, students and residents.

Before we start major construction on the tunnels and stations for SRL East, we are undertaking Initial and Early Works at each of the sites from Cheltenham to Box Hill, including Burwood.

Map showing initial and early works in Burwood

What are Initial and Early Works?

Initial and Early Works involve activities such as utility relocations, site establishment, road modifications, site levelling and demolition works.

These works help prepare areas for major works while minimising the impact on the local community, businesses and road users during the Main Works.

As part of the works:

We constructed a new park and playground between Cumming Street and Gillard Street.The park and playground were opened in May 2023.
We are building new BBQ facilities off Highbury Road at Lundgren Reserve.

These facilities are an alternative to Sinnott Street Reserve, which will be impacted during construction of SRL Burwood Station.

Initial and Early Works began in 2022 and are being delivered by Managing Contractor Laing O’Rourke.

SRL East Project Timeline

September 2021	Initial Works community consultation
November 2021 - May 2022	Environment Effects Statement (ESS) consultation, including Early Works
December 2021	Initial works approved
September 2022	Early works approved
2022	Initial and early works package starts
2025	Initial and Early works finish Main works begin.

Initial and Early Works to be undertaken at Burwood

Planned works	What the works involve
Burwood public open space	Construction of a new park and playground between Cumming Street and Gillard Street. The new park and playground opened in May 2023. Construction of new BBQ facilities off Highbury Road in the Lundgren Reserve.
Power substation	Building a power substation, which will provide the necessary power to construct SRL East and ensure the safe and reliable operation of trains, signals, and communication equipment.
Road modifications	Creating a signalised intersection at Burwood Highway and Sinnott Street Creating a signalised intersection at Sinnott Street and Highbury Road Develop a site access point on Burwood Highway and McComas Grove.
Site establishment	Establish temporary site facilities for project staff and lay down areas for construction materials Activities include: Traffic barrier and fencing installation Tree and vegetation removal Hazardous material removal (if required) Excavation and earthworks to clear and level the area Drainage installation Site demolition and clearance.
Site investigations	Obtaining information about the existing ground conditions and identifying the location of utility services. This data helps inform project planning and construction methods.
Tunnel access shaft construction	Excavating the tunnel access shaft Creating foundations in the ground for the tunnel access shaft and construction of concrete beams to create a walled structure around the area. The shaft will allow the tunnel boring machines to be lowered into the ground to bore the SRL East twin tunnels.
Utility relocations	Relocating and protecting underground utilities including gas, telecommunications, power, sewer and water to make way for excavation of the underground station.

Planning approvals

Initial and Early Works have been assessed and approved via 2 separate planning pathways. Initial Works were assessed and approved by the Minister for Planning as part of the Clause 52.30 - State Projects planning provision.

Early Works were approved following the Minister’s assessment of the EES. These approvals include a planning scheme amendment, project area designation and cultural heritage management plans.

Managing impacts

As with any major infrastructure project, surrounding residents and businesses may experience some disruption during project works.

The project is committed to minimising and managing disruption for local residents, businesses and communities as much as possible. However, we do anticipate some potential impacts including:

Changes to traffic conditions for drivers (including temporary speed reductions and lane closures), cyclists and pedestrians
Some noise, vibration and dust from construction activities, machinery and vehicles
Removal of vegetation and trees, where required
Potential short-term impacts to driveway access and on-street car parking.

Before works start, we will notify and engage with residents and businesses about activities planned in their area, what to expect and how any disruptions will be managed.

Your questions answered

We will notify local residents and business about what to expect and how disruptions will be managed using works notifications, signage, advertising and notices on our website, social media channels and email newsletters.

Yes, some works will require changes to traffic conditions. We will notify the local community ahead of these changes. Traffic management and speed reductions will be in place where required.

Access to all residential properties and businesses will be maintained wherever possible throughout works.

We will work closely with affected residents and businesses ahead of works commencing to mitigate any impacts.

SRL Burwood Initial and Early Works (PDF 1.9 MB)