Metro Rail

Melbourne Metro – Public Consultation

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Questions to Melbourne Metro Authority,

Will the Domain Station incorporate an underground Shooing Mall to meet the local residential communities needs given that the City Council has failed to protect the local amenity in teh Domain Road Precinct?

Will the design of each station be subject to a competition and independent tender so each station will have a unique local character (As is the case in the Moscow Metro) or will it be bland corporate style conformity across the network?

Will the Metro Tunnel facilitate and include a design for a Road Tunnel under Punt Road or will it preclude a Road Tunnel?

When will Metro Rail be able to provide a schematic design showing RLs and how a Road Tunnel will be function at the intersection of Punt Road?

Would it not be better and cheaper to design and construct a Road Tunnel under Punt Road between the Yarra and Carsile Sreet /St Kilda Road (4.3KM) at the same time as the Metro Ral Tunnel?

Given that the Government is now proposing to not build an Interchange at South Yarra Station, what impact will this have on the Tram Network and the Domain Interchange. Even more so if Yarra Trams plan to abolish the historic Number 8 Tram?

Are Metro Rail taking to and consulting Vicroads, Yarra Trams in the design of the Network and how it relates to South Yarra, Punt Road and the Domain Precinct with the long term vision in mind or is it piece meal each doing just their bit?

Will there be a future train tunnel link from Domain, South Melbourne and Fishermans Bend?

 

Link to the Metro Tunnel web site Click here


Letter from Melbourne Metro Rail Authority

Dear South Yarra Residents

Please find below details of our upcoming information sessions and yoursay portal.

Information Sessions

Members of Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group are invited to drop in anytime during these sessions to meet the project team, view tunnel and station locations and provide feedback on project plans.

Tuesday 10 November: Seasons Botanic Gardens, 348 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 5:30 – 7:30PM
Saturday 14 November: Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston St, Melbourne, 11AM – 1PM
Wednesday 18 November: Punthill South Yarra Grand, 7 Yarra St South Yarra, 6 – 8PM
Friday 20 November: Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston St, Melbourne, 12 – 2PM

Have your say on the Melbourne Metro Rail Project

You are also invited to provide feedback on the project, which will be used to help us prepare our official planning documents. These documents will go on public display next year. It will also help us as we continue to develop the design for Melbourne Metro.

You can visit http://yoursay.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/melbourne-metro-rail-project to participate in online forums and complete a short survey about how you use the proposed project areas.

I will arrange to have some information packs posted to you ahead of your AGM.

Regards

Dave Kristy
Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Melbourne Metro Rail Authority

MM BROCHURE 20151008 Eastern Portal Precinct Brochure 4pp PROOF

 

Vicroads review fails to consider Road Tunnel under Punt Rd

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Vicroads in reply to correspondence has stated that they have not considered a road tunnel option for Punt Road. this in spite the fact that John Brumby had previously considered a number of various grade separations options for the Punt Road.Hoddle Street Corridor.

It is estimated that the retention of the compulsory acquisition  and purchase of property to allow Punt Road to be widened would cost approximately 750 Million Dollars.  Estimations for the construction of a road tunnel under Punt Road varies from $150 to $250 Million dollars to build a Road Tunnel.

What is important is the design of the Metro Rail project which crosses Punt Road at Toorak Road.  Metro Rail claims that the design woll not impact on a Road Tunnel under Punt Road but have failed to provide any schematic design drawings that confirm  the two can co-exist.  Vicroads statement that they have not considered a Road Tunnel option raises serious questions as to the planning process.  The terms of reference for the advisory committee makes no reference to a Road Tunnel option.

Thanks again for your email, we appreciate the time you have taken to email us.

A number of the questions you have raised have been addressed in the Punt Road Background Report and Punt Road Concept Options Report currently online at:

http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/planning/panels-and-committees/current-panels-and-committees/punt-road-public-acquistion-overlay-advisory-committee

You will see on the website an independent advisory committee has been appointed to report and recommend on whether to modify or remove the Public Acquisition Overlay affecting Punt Road within the City of Stonnington. It is recommended that interested parties like yourself make a submission on the Background and Options reports, as part of this process. Submissions can be made online and close at 5pm on Tuesday 24 November 2015.

In terms of your most recent question no studies have been undertaken into road tunnels, in the area you have requested. Therefore costs, constructability (e.g. cut and cover or boring), interchange locations (entry and exits) and tunnel infrastructure locations (e.g. ventilation stacks, control rooms) are unknown.

Thanks again for your query.

Should you have any further questions please feel free to contact me on the phone number below.

Kind Regards

Mark Rowland
A/Manager – Tram & Bus Projects
 
VicRoads
Metropolitan Projects (Central)
1 Spring St
Melbourne VIC 3000
 

PPV-Punt-Road-PAO-Advisory-Committee-Revised-Terms-of-Reference.pdf

 

Avoiding the question – Yes Minster Style. What to do with Punt Road?

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Earlier this year we wrote to the Minister for Local Roads seeking detailed information as to the propose changes to Punt Road and the cost of Road widening versus a Road Tunnel.

 

We specifically asked

I would like to know how much world a Road tunnel under punt Road cost to construct and if he development and design of the Metro Tunnel which Cross Punt Road will impact or preclude a future Road Tunnel.  Ideally the two would be constructed together.

Nathan Corcornon from Vicroads wrote back with the following reply ignoring our question

Thank you for your email in regards to Punt Road.

The ‘Punt Road Investigation’ aims to provide the government with possible short-term options to improve the corridor. The investigation aims to improve safety for all road users, help traffic flow, increase reliability of public transport and improve accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians along and across the entire corridor.

Possible improvements that are being investigated include implementing 24-hour clearways, introducing a fifth lane within the existing road reserve, east-west connectivity improvements and public transport priority measures.

Tunnels require significant financial resources and typically involve a long and disruptive construction period. At this point in time Punt Road is not as efficient as it could be, the focus of the Punt Road Investigation therefore, is to develop solutions that maximise the operation of the infrastructure we already have (i.e. Punt Road) to ensure it operates at maximum efficiency.

Additionally, only 15-20% of vehicles are travelling the majority of the length of the Hoddle-Punt corridor, therefore there will still be significant demands on the surface road network that need to be addressed.

Any options to improve Punt Road are being examined alongside the Streamlining Hoddle Street initiative which aims to improve travel times and reliability of trips along Hoddle Street.

As we are still in the ‘exploring’ phase of the project, feedback received is being used to help us prioritise areas for improvement and subsequently guide options development. These options will be presented to Government in early 2016.

Once again, thank you for your input.

Kind regards,

Streamlining Hoddle Street & Punt Road Transport Investigation Project teams

In 2009/10 the Brumby Government looked at what to do with Hoddle Street Punt Road and cam up with a proposal for grade separation and a tunnel at budget cost of 1.5 Billion Dollars

This proposal has fallen off the radar and Nathan Conornan is apparently not aware of it.

What is of concern is that the cost of purchasing property top facilitate a road widening of Punt Road is estimated to cost around $750 Million and it will not facilitate or address the traffic concerns along Punt Road.

Contrary to the statement made by Nathan Conornan the percentage of vehicles traveling along Punt Road that travel the full length from the Yarra to Carlisle Street is greater than 80%.  the 15%-20% figure he quotes is the full Hoddle/Punt Road (Clifton Hill to St Kilda) corridor.

Whats more the Metro Rail Project which will no longer stop at  serve South Yarra is most likely ignored the need to design both tunnels (Road and Rail) together.  The Metro rail may prohibit any future road tunnel option under Punt Road.

State Planning at its worst.   Again the Government is remaining numb on these issues. Metro Rail is not talking to Vicroads and both are not talking to the community. They certainly are not listening.