New car parks completed at Waurn Ponds railway station

BY JAMES TAYLOR

COMMUTERS to Melbourne have more and better places to park at Waurn Ponds railway station with the completion of the latest stage of the station’s upgrade.

The largest section of works in the stations car park works has sealed the eastern end of the car park between Bollinger Street and Rossack Drive to create more than 200 new and upgraded car parks, and created a new entrance at the Rossack Drive roundabout.

Construction contractor Downer has used several sustainability measures in the project, including the use of recycled asphalt – made from products including soft plastics from plastic bags and packaging and waste toner from print cartridges – to pave the surface.

About 20 per cent of the asphalt used in the new section of the car park uses recycled product from other road maintenance and construction projects conducted by Downer across Melbourne.

More than 3,500 tonnes of recycled concrete was also used from a local recycling site to stabilise and strengthen construction laydown areas, access roads and the site compound area.

The next stage of work at the station will create a second railway track and platform to the south, an accessible pedestrian overpass, and extra car parking.

More than $1 billion has been invested by the federal and Victorian governments in the staged upgrade of the Geelong Line, including the Waurn Ponds station upgrade, Waurn Ponds train maintenance and stabling facility and the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds duplication.

The federal government has provided $843 million and the Victorian government has invested $157 million and will deliver this project, which will deliver more frequent and reliable services for passengers on Victoria’s busiest regional rail line.

These projects form part of the federal and Victorian governments’ investment of more than $4 billion in regional rail, which is upgrading every regional passenger rail line in the state and creating more than 3,000 jobs and local supplier opportunities.

Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson and South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman inspected the finished works during a visit on Wednesday last week.

Senator Henderson said further work was being done at Waurn Ponds railway station.

“New car park entrances off Sugargum Drive and at Rossack Drive are now open and will be used as the temporary station car park access points while the main car park and entrance outside the station building is closed to allow for piling works,” she said.

“More than 500 metres of piling is required at the station to support the new structures, with more than 70 piles to be bored for the new platform, pedestrian overpass, ramps, stairs and lift shafts.

“The station upgrade, which is targeted for completion in late 2021, also includes a reconfigured car park with better access for pedestrians and vehicles, extra lighting and CCTV and landscaping.”

Mr Cheeseman said construction works on the new platform, duplicated track and accessible overpass were also under way to allow more services to and from the station.

“The local community will see construction ramp up at the station in the coming months, with work already underway on other sections of the Waurn Ponds Station upgrade,” he said.

“Crews have started piling work at the station to prepare the foundations for the second platform and accessible overpass, as the key features of the upgrade start to take shape to deliver better reliability and more services to Waurn Ponds passengers.”

For more information on upgrades to the Geelong line, head to regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au/geelong.