Melburnians are being invited to provide feedback on Melbourne Airport Rail’s construction approach, with new information released to support getting shovels in the ground next year.
In an extension of the current community engagement via Engage Victoria, more details have been provided around topics such as planning approvals, the location of new substations, and how the project will seek to mitigate temporary disruptions during construction.
This information covers state-owned land along the project route for areas such as Sunshine, Albion, Keilor Park, Airport West and the Maribyrnong River Bridge. Commonwealth-owned land around Melbourne Airport is subject to a separate approvals process.
Current plans propose the installation of permanent noise walls along the rail corridor to lessen the impact of increased train activity to nearby residential areas, with new electrical substations required to power the new airport trains proposed away from residences in Sunshine North, Keilor Park, and Airport West.
Planned construction traffic routes and site laydown areas have also been made public, with conscious efforts made to minimise the impacts on local roads where possible and utilise major roads during off-peak times.
Investigations are continuing to refine the expected project impacts and government approvals required before construction begins in 2022.
With the release of this new information, the deadline for community feedback has been extended through the Engage Victoria website.