News / Skyrail
Station to be axed under skyrail revamp
The level crossing project will have two stations in Brunswick
Mark Phillips
BRUNSWICK will lose one of its three stations when the elevated railway is built by 2030 in a decision that contradicts community and council preferences.
The state government has released new plans for the locations of two stations as part of the project to remove eight level crossings along a 2 kilometre stretch of the Upfield line.
The government has rejected the position adopted by Merri-bek Council last year following community consultation about the $1billion-plus project.
Under the plans which were announced by a government media release on Thursday, one station would be located where Bryant and Duckett streets currently meet, with one entrance about 200 metres south of Anstey Station and the other about 450 metres north of Brunswick Station.
The second would be built near the RMIT University campus, with one entrance about 450 metres south of Brunswick and the other 200 metres north of Jewell Station.
The Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Danny Pearson, said the decision to build two stations followed 18 months of technical and engineering assessments which found fewer stations would boost capacity on the line in the future and deliver more open space.
He said the three existing stations were within 1500 metres from each other, making them among the closest stations on Melbourne’s rail network.
The new stations will be fully accessible with entrances at both ends of the platforms.
Pearson said the plan would also minimise the impact to heritage in the area, but provided no detail about whether the three station buildings and the historic boom gate operators’ cabins would be preserved.
“This project will be a game changer for Brunswick and Parkville – it will reduce congestion, deliver two brand new and accessible stations and pave the way for extra trains on the Upfield line in the future,” Pearson said.
Under a new timeline also released by the state’s Level Crossing Removal Project agency, concept designs for the skyrail will not be ready until 2027, the year the project was originally intended to be completed.
Most of the construction will take place in 2029 and 2030.
Last year, Merri-bek Council adopted a stance of retaining the three stations in Brunswick following several public forums about the level crossing removal project.
The final position adopted by the council amended an earlier draft of its Reshaping Brunswick document, which did not take a position on the number of stations.
But councillors insisted that the three stations should be retained for accessibility reasons.
Vote on the plan for two stations
Merri-bek Mayor Adam Pulford, speaking as an individual councillor because the council is now in caretaker mode for upcoming local government elections, acknowledged the community would prefer three stations but said it was good to see the LXRP was progressing after its timetable was pushed back for budget reasons earlier this year.
“When the level crossing removals were originally announced, Council brought our community together to hear their vision and priorities for the project,” Pulford said.
“We heard that public transport should be as accessible as possible, so community members wanted to keep three train stations. With the Victorian Government proposing two new stations, it will be important for the stations to have multiple entrances so they are accessible from all sides.”
Brunswick MP Tim Read said he was pleased the project had not been shelved but was disappointed there was no commitment to improve train frequency.
On the number of stations, Read said: “The extra distance between stations may not be an issue for many, but without accessible tram stops on Sydney Road, the Brunswick disability community rely on the Upfield train and I am concerned that this change may make the line less accessible.
“Given Labor now has a timeline for works, I expect to see a plan to upgrade Sydney Road with accessible tram stops prior to the line closing so that those with all mobility needs can access public transport in Brunswick.”
Deputy Mayor Lambros Tapinos said the two stations plan offered opportunities to beautify and improve public infrastructure near the Upfield line.
“I would like to see the council car park at Dawson Street turned into a town square and entrance to the station with car parking underneath,” he said.
Information sessions about the project will be held in Brunswick in October, including three in-person sessions at T.O.M.S. Place. Community feedback is also open through an online survey until October 20.
What do you think of the plan to reduce the number of stations in Brunswick? Send us a comment here.
This story has been updated with additional comments from Tim Read.
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