Intervention and Ventilation Facility Providing air ventilation to the tunnels.
Backup control centre Keeping the rail network moving should an incident affect the main operational control centre functioning.
Passenger safety Providing emergency service access and an emergency exit point for passengers from the tunnels to surface.

About the emergency support facility

We’re building an emergency support facility at Mount Waverley.

Like other metro systems around the world, SRL East from Cheltenham to Box Hill requires a range of supporting infrastructure.

The emergency support facility will house important infrastructure, including an intervention and ventilation shaft and backup control centre, which are essential to the safe operation of SRL East. These facilities are critical to keep the rail network moving.

The emergency support facility will be built on High Street Road between Kiers Avenue and Elm Grove.

It needs to be located at this point on the SRL East alignment, between Glen Waverley and Burwood due to the length of the twin tunnels in this section.

Map showing SRL emergency support facility

What's happening now

Mount Waverley: June works update

FAQs

What is an intervention and ventilation facility?

The intervention and ventilation facilities will provide air ventilation, emergency service access, and an emergency exit point for passengers from the rail tunnels to the surface.

These facilities are critical to keep the rail network moving. A number of these facilities already exist across Melbourne to service existing rail tunnels.

This facility will be essential to the safe operation of SRL East, serving several important functions:

Ventilation – supplying fresh air to the tunnels to manage temperatures and provide cooling around trains
Smoke extraction – in the unlikely event of an emergency, extraction fans will operate to keep evacuation routes free from smoke
Emergency access – providing access for emergency services to the tunnels in the event of an incident
Emergency evacuation – enabling passengers to be guided safely out of the tunnels to the surface

What is a backup control centre?

Housing important equipment to operate trains for SRL East, the backup control centre will be ready to go in standby mode should there be an incident that prevents the main operational control centre from functioning.

What will construction involve at Mount Waverley?

Work to build the emergency support facility, including the intervention and ventilation facility and backup control centre at Mount Waverley will involve:

Site investigations
Site establishment and demolition
Piling works and installing an acoustic shed to minimise impacts on the surrounding community
Excavating a vertical shaft to the tunnels below
Construction of internal vent shaft structures including floors and access
Construction of buildings, electrical fit-out and landscaping.

How will traffic in the area be managed safely during construction?

Access to the site will be via the existing gate at High Street Road. There will be an increase in construction vehicles accessing and exiting the site.

Traffic management, including traffic controllers, will be in place when required to ensure the safety of the public and workforce.

Access to residential properties and businesses will be maintained. Before any works start, we will engage with nearby residents and businesses about upcoming works, what to expect and how disruptions will be managed.

Will residents and businesses near the facility be impacted by noise, dust or vibration during construction?

As with all major projects of the scale of SRL East, the surrounding community may experience some impacts during construction.

Rail infrastructure construction for SRL East, including the emergency support facility, was assessed through an Environment Effects Statement (EES) – Victoria’s most comprehensive and transparent planning and environmental assessment process.

Supported by a range of technical investigations and studies, the EES carefully considered potential impacts on people, structures, and the environment, including at and around the emergency support facility at Mount Waverley.

As a result of the EES an Environmental Management Framework was developed with more than 100 Environmental Performance Requirements outlining how to manage impacts of the project.

These mitigation methods have considered construction impacts (including tunnelling) on the local environment, including noise, vibration, air quality and ground movement, and include measures to minimise potential impacts. Any noise, dust or vibration impacts from the facility will need to meet these performance requirements which will be regularly monitored.

How was the Mount Waverley location chosen?

The intervention and ventilation facility and backup control centre are co-located to efficiently and effectively manage any incidents that may occur.

The emergency support facility needs to be located at this point due to the length of the twin tunnels in this section.

The site was considered against a range of criteria including engineering design, tunnel operation requirements, the environment, availability of suitable land, and minimising property acquisition and impacts on local jobs, the environment and the local surrounding community.

What will the facility look like?

The intervention and ventilation facility and the backup control centre will be architecturally designed above-ground buildings, each about the height of a two-storey house.

Vegetation will act as soft screening, reducing the visual impact of the facilities for surrounding neighbours.

What are the expected operational impacts of the facility?

During normal rail operations, the buildings will not produce significant noise or other emissions. Noise mitigation will be based on requirements as outlined by EPA Victoria (Publication 1826).

This includes assessment of noise levels as well as setting allowable noise limits. Access to the site will generally be during normal working hours, however access may be required outside of normal working hours in an emergency or for maintenance works.

About the emergency support facility

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