Train stabling facility

Train stabling is a critical part of the new Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) network. A stabling facility is required near the start of the rail line to allow SRL’s fleet of new high-tech trains to begin services efficiently each day. It would not be possible to provide high-frequency turn-up-and-go train services without it.

About the train stabling facility

The train stabling facility for SRL East will be built at 91–185 Kingston Road, Heatherton.

When SRL East commences operation in 2035, 13 trains will be stabled, cleaned, and maintained at the facility when they are not in service.

The underground rail track will climb to ground level at the stabling facility via tunnel portal structures on the eastern and western sides of the site.

Key features of the stabling facility will include:

Stabling yard to initially accommodate 13 trains, and up to 30 trains as passenger demand grows
A track for testing trains before they go into operation
A train maintenance facility for activities such as train washing, inspections and repairs, and major train and wheel maintenance
An office and operational control centre
A train wash and graffiti removal facility
A network support facility which will consist of a substation that will provide power for the tunnel boring machines during construction and operation of the SRL East network
An eastern and western tunnel portal for train entry and exit through the SRL East tunnels
Water storage basins to manage overland flow and treat any water, respectively.

What will it look like

The layout and design of the site will be subject to operational and technical requirements, and will be finalised once the relevant contractor is appointed.

The stabling facility will be subject to an Urban Design and Landscape Plan that will be developed by the appointed contractor. These plans will be shared with the community for feedback before being finalised. Landscaping and vegetation will be planted along the boundary, which will reduce the visual impact of the facility for local residents.

Find out more on the Heatherton Stabling Facility by reading our factsheet.

Managing impacts

Suburban Rail Loop is committed to minimising and managing disruption for local residents, business and communities as much as possible. However, we do anticipate some impacts during construction including:

Changes to traffic conditions for drivers
Changed travel conditions for 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, including what to expect and how any disruptions will be managed.

Rail infrastructure for SRL East, including the stabling facility, was assessed through an Environment Effects Statement (EES). 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 stabling facility at Heatherton.

As a result of the EES, an Environmental Management Framework (EMF) was developed with more than 100 Environmental Performance Requirements (EPRs) outlining how to manage impacts of the project. These mitigation methods have taken into account construction impacts on the local environment including noise, vibration, air quality and ground movement – and include measures to minimise potential impacts. Any impacts will be regularly monitored and will need to comply with meet these performance requirements.

Engaging with the community

We are having conversations with the Heatherton and Clarinda communities every step of the way.

Since the project started, some of the ways we have engaged have included:

Local community information sessions
Inviting EES submissions
Online feedback surveys
Pop-up events and local markets
Regular contact via our dedicated 1800 project number and contact inbox
On-site discussions with local residents and businesses
Notifying the community of upcoming works and disruptions.

There will also be future opportunities for the community to have their say, including consultations on the stabling facility design and landscaping, Henry Street Linear Reserve, Kingston Walk Linear Reserve, local roads and walking and cycling improvements.

In 2023, we also established a Heatherton Community Reference Group (CRG).

The CRG allows for local community groups, businesses, and residents to work directly with the project team to discuss project matters, raising and resolving project issues, and providing a local community perspective to construction planning and design. If you have any questions about the CRG, you can reach out to crg@srla.vic.gov.au.

View the records of previous CRG meetings.

Yes, the stabling facility was approved by the Minister for Planning in 2022, and will be built at 91-185 Kingston Road, Heatherton.

The stabling facility location was selected following a robust and comprehensive options assessment.

Based on the outcomes of the assessment criteria, the Heatherton Cleanfill site at 91-185 Kingston Road was recommended due to reduced impact to residential properties and agricultural businesses as well as comparatively lower land acquisition and tunnelling costs.

Construction will be staged to reduce impacts on the local area.

Works to build the train stabling facility will involve:

Removing existing buildings
Ground improvement works
Building structures, portals and construction of the rail track
Installing the power substation and electrical equipment
Tunnelling including support activities such as soil management.
We will keep the community updated ahead of works occurring.

The stabling facility will require the permanent closure of Old Dandenong Road between Kingston Road and Henry Street, along with modifications to the intersection of Old Dandenong Road and Kingston Road.

The permanent closure of Old Dandenong Road is planned to occur from mid-late 2024. We are working through construction timelines and will advise community and stakeholders of more detailed timing ahead of the closure occurring.

We understand that public open space is very important to the local community in Heatherton, Clarinda and surrounds. SRL is committed to ensuring local communities have access to quality public open space and can continue to enjoy exercise, play and social experiences among nature and greenery.

SRLA and the SRL East Public Open Space Advisory Panel will continue to work closely with Kingston City Council and the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action to identify suitable alternative sites for open space to replace the future planned open space at the stabling site. This may involve several smaller sites rather than 1 large single site. New replacement public space will open for community use before the stabling facility becomes operational in 2035.

The project will also enhance existing landscape buffers around the stabling facility to soften visual impacts and use plant species to enhance biodiversity and habitat, including exploring opportunities for additional planting within Kingston Walk Linear Reserve and Henry Street Linear Reserve.

As part of our tree planting program, we will plant 3 trees for every tree impacted by the project. Planting will occur before the stabling facility becomes operational. This will allow time for trees to mature and grow around the stabling facility.

Keeping the road network moving during construction will involve site-specific management plans to minimise impacts. Further, as an outcome of the EES, a traffic assessment has been undertaken to understand where improvements can be made to Kingston Road to improve safety during construction.

As part of this assessment, the project has identified opportunities such as:

A signalised pedestrian crossing on Kingston Road, improving safety for pedestrians and better ability to turn onto Kingston Road for nearby local roads and a U-turn facility for southbound traffic exiting Dingley Bypass to turn right onto Kingston Road.

SRLA is working with the Department of Transport and Planning, contractors and the local community to safely manage traffic during construction.

Spoil Management Plans (SMPs) will be developed by SRLA’s construction contractors.

The SMPs will include details such as how spoil will be managed and the locations at which appropriately classified spoil will be disposed.

Once developed, the contractor SMPs will be reviewed by the Environment Protection Authority Victoria and verified by the SRL East Independent Environmental Auditor.

The stabling facility will be designed to minimise the impact of light on nearby residents.

The detailed design of the stabling facility will need to satisfy strict Environmental Performance Requirements to minimise lighting impacts during both the construction and operation of the stabling facility.

The contractors who build the new train stabling facility will be responsible for identifying reasonable mitigation measures to reduce lighting impacts. Some of the options to be explored by the contractors are:

Smart LED lighting and switching
Direction and angles of lights
Height considerations of light posts
Managing appropriate light intensity (lux) levels.

As with all major projects of the scale of SRL East, there will inevitably be some impacts to residents and businesses near work sites.

Rail infrastructure construction for SRL East, including the stabling 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 train stabling facility at Heatherton.

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.

Additionally, during construction, we will work with residents near the construction site to address their concerns as is customary with other major transport infrastructure projects in Victoria.