Springvale Road Rail Separation Project, Nunawading Station, Nunawading Level Crossing, Railway Underpass

Work to separate and upgrade Springvale Road and the Belgrave / Lilydale lines in Nunawading is progressing rapidly.

Funding for the $140 million project was announced by Victorian Premier John Brumby and Federal Member for Deakin Mike Symon on 29 April 2009.

On 10 June the State Government announced the partners of the Springvale Road Rail Alliance were VicRoads, Department of Transport, John Holland, Arup, KBR Pty Ltd and the current rail operator Connex.

Major construction works began in late July with the first foundation piles drilled for retaining walls to the west of Springvale Road. 
 

In August 2009 the final design for the new Nunawading Station was released. Select images are in the Gallery section of the website. 

The new Nunawading Station will feature:

• an architect-designed premium station to the west of Springvale Road with improved customer facilities and access
• an island platform with stairs and lifts taking passengers from ground level to the platform and adjoining pedestrian underpass
• a roadway bridge spanning the two rail lines carrying three lanes of traffic in each direction
• an architect-designed pedestrian underpass to allow people to safely pass under Springvale Road, including to reach the new station
   

VicRoads has been working with the State, Federal and Local governments to determine a suitable proposal and project scope. The Springvale Road Rail Alliance has continued with this consultative approach. 

In August, three public information sessions were held about the project, attracting more than 100 interested locals. As well, the project website went live and the broader Whitehorse community received a home-delivered colour brochure about the project, while details were advertised in the Leader newspaper.

Interested individuals and groups continue to be given the opportunity to provide and receive direct feedback and comment about the project.

Members of the Project team regular met members of the community, particularly local business owners and residents, to keep them up-to date-about the project and get feedback. 

Preconstruction works started in late May 2009. These works were to relocate services to keep the train services functioning and prepare for the major construction to begin from late July. Most of the early works were within the rail reserve eg new signalling and cabling installation.

The project aims to minimise any community impact from construction works and keep people informed of relevant developments and changes.
 

The major construction works began in late July 2009 when the first of more than 300 foundation piles for new retaining walls and the station platform were drilled.

Springvale Road closed at the Nunawading level crossing from 8.00pm Friday 21 August until 4:00am Monday 24 August to install 44 foundation piles across Springvale Road, relocate level crossing booms gates and remove aerial power cables and place them underground in preparation for then new below ground rail lines.

Springvale Road again closed at the level crossing at 6pm Friday 18 September, reopening seven days earlier than expected at 4:30am Wednesday 23 September, to build the base for the Springvale Road bridge. The new section of road bridge is at ground level and paves the way for future excavation to create the tunnel beneath, where new rail tracks will be laid for the relocated premium station.
 

Early preparation works, largely involving rail-related infrastructure and services, were completed by early September 2009.

Major construction began in late July with the first of more than 320 foundation piles drilled for the retaining wall thats run east and west of Springvale Road, to the north of the existing outbound train track.

Significant works on Springvale Road at the site of the level crossing in August-September transformed the existing roadway into a six-lane bridge deck, with trains still operating as usual at ground level over the crossing.

The ground-level concourses on either side of Springvale Road were established by mid-October as excavation continued and the retaining wall structure extended to the east side. The first new station building structures were delivered and affixed on the west concourse on 18 October.

Works into November will include installation of the roof canopies, commencement of the island platform and laying of the outbound track.

Buses will replace train services through Nunawading Station on selected weekends and nights until December. For details visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au or call 131 638.

From Friday 1 January 2010, buses will replace scheduled trains between Blackburn and Ringwood Stations as part of a special holiday period timetable.

All efforts will be made by the project and train operator (Connex until 30 November and Metro thereafter) to minimise disruption to customers.

The Springvale and Middleborough Roads projects are quite different in ways including scale, road traffic volumes and geography.

The $140 million project to separate Springvale Road and the Belgrave/Lilydale rail lines and to create a new Nunawading Station requires major changes to rail and road infrastructure.

Many aspects of the latest project are using ground-breaking approaches to achieve construction targets to challenging timelines within the set budget.

To allow work to happen safely for project staff and the public, Springvale Road closed at the level crossing from 21-24 August. A second road closure for all through traffic began at 8pm on Friday 18 September and was due to take until 30 September. However, rapid progress of works to transform the road into a six-lane bridge deck, aided by largely favorable weather, led to the road fully reopening to through traffic a week early, at 4.30am on Wednesday 23 September.

Changed traffic conditions and some lane closures - generally outside peak periods - will continue to occur during the project to ensure the safety of workers.

Notification of changed traffic conditions to help people plan their trips is done through advertising, electronic message boards, signage and letter drops.
 

We aim to minimise disruption noise, dust and traffic disruption, from the construction. The project will use construction techniques and take percussions to minimise any impact or inconvenience, including noise, dust and traffic disruption to the local community and commuters.

The Alliance would like to hear from you about the project. Your input will help us deliver better service to you and achieve a better outcome for everyone.  Please call us on our community contact numbers with your comments:

• (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or
• Or email eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

We are planning to use construction techniques to minimise vibration. We will inspect houses and properties before major construction works begin, and, upon request, after the works are finished, to determine if they were affected by the works.

Some night works are required. We will notify those affected as early as possible, including the date and time, type of night works and what to expect

For more information about night works or to provide feedback, please:

• call (03) 9872 7000 during business hours Monday to Friday or
• or email eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

We aim to minimise disruption to businesses. We are in constant consultation with business operators and inform them about how works may cause an impact.

Access to businesses on Springvale Rd and in streets around Nunawading Station will remain open during the project.

When finished, the changes will mean more people will have better access to local businesses through reduced congestion and improved road safety.

It is expected the new premium station and better public transport facilities will attract more people. The new pedestrian underpass will provide another option for people to reach local businesses and community facilities.

We will keep the community, residents and businesses updated about the project through regular mail drops, information in the local newspaper, onsite information boards, a project website, community information displays, face-to-face meetings and many more communications activities. Regular meetings with businesses, residents and Whitehorse City Council are already occurring, these meetings will continue.

To subscribe to mailing and email lists for updates about the project call (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or send an email to eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

The Springvale Road Rail Alliance brings together a range of specialist staff from VicRoads, Department of Transport, John Holland, ARUP, KBR and Connex to work in a team on a specific project. The approach has proved successful - the recent and nearby Middleborough Road Alliance brought together experts under one roof and led to the project being successfully completed.

On 10 June 2009, the State Government announced the partners of the Springvale Road Rail Alliance are VicRoads, Department of Transport, John Holland, Arup and KBR Pty Ltd and the current rail operator, Connex.

When Metro Trains Melbourne becomes Melbourne's new train operator on 30 November, it will join the Alliance replacing Connex. The change will not affect works or the project. 

The project is expected to be finished in early to mid 2010.

To protect the safety of the public during construction some car space near the work site will be unavailable during the project.

The new upgraded premium station will have the same number of parking space as the current station when completed.

To protect the safety of the public there will be some changes to pedestrian access during the works. Safe access to public transport, residences, businesses and the surrounding area will be maintained. However, changed routes will be needed to safely walk around the construction areas. These will be clearly identified and, where necessary, traffic controllers will be strategically placed to assist the safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

The Alliance would like to hear from you about the project. Your input will help us deliver better service to you and achieve a better outcome for everyone.

To provide feedback please call us on our community contact numbers with your comments:

• (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or
• Or email eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

There are some aspects of the plan that can not be changed, for example the location of the station on the west side of Springvale Road and the rail lines being dropped underground. However, some elements of the plan, including the new station appearance and landscaping, are up for discussion.

To subscribe to mailing and email lists for updates about the project call (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or send an email to eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

The Alliance will host information sessions for the community in the near future. We will consider any feedback to help us deliver a positive outcome.

To allow trains to safely pass under Springvale Road the new station platform will be approximately 6 metres below the existing station. This will change the steepness of the train lines. If a new lower station was built on the east side, the train lines would be too steep for trains to safely stop and depart from the station. A new station on the city side of Springvale Road will allow trains to safely stop at and depart from the new station.

Wider kerbside lanes on Springvale Road will improve safety and access for cyclists. New and improved bicycle storage facilities at ground level on the west side of Springvale Road beside the new ticket sales office. The secure Parkiteer bicycle cage will hold up to 26 bikes.

The $140 million project to separate Springvale Road and Belgrave/Lilydale Lines and upgrade Nunawading Station is a large and complex project incorporating major changes to important and very well used rail and road infrastructure while minimising the impact on various stakeholders including local residents, businesses and commuters.

These arrangements will add some complexity to the project.

The $140 million project to separate Springvale Road and Belgrave & Lilydale Lines will adopt state of the art construction techniques to build a modern new premium station while minimising disruption to the 50,000 motorists, almost 34,000 train trips, 5,000 pedestrians each day, more than 150 nearby businesses and approximately 5,000 households. Therefore the project is technically challenging and needs to address these varying elements.

All removed soil is taken to dedicated and appropriate disposal areas off-site. Occasionally small stockpiles of material are stored on-site until they can be trucked out.

Designs for the new station can be seen in the Gallery section of the website.

There will be a single, continuous (island) platform with the inbound train track on one side and outbound on the other. It will include improved safety access and services.

The Alliance would like to hear from you about the project. Your input will help us deliver better service to you and achieve a better outcome for everyone.  To subscribe to mailing and email lists for updates about the project call (03) 9872 7000 during business hours.

To provide feedback please call us on our community contact numbers with your comments:

• (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or
• Or email eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

The new project office at the corner of Silver Grove and Springvale Road, Nunawading, opened in June 2009, will include an information centre.

To subscribe to mailing and email lists for updates about the project call (03) 9872 7000 during business hours or send an email to eastern_projects@roads.vic.gov.au

Springvale Road Rail Alliance is committed to minimising and avoiding environmental impacts during construction. An environmental protection strategy has been adopted that identifies the environmental commitments of the project.