Mont Albert and Union Station
This new railway station respects and amplifies the leafy, heritage character of the surrounding neighbourhoods, and carefully expands public space within a sensitive, low-rise suburban setting.
- TRADITIONAL OWNERS & ONGOING CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people
- CLIENT South Eastern Program Alliance (Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs, LXRP, MTM)
- Location Surrey Hills, Melbourne, Australia
- Year 2019-2023
ASPECT Studios collaborated with the South Eastern Program Alliance on the delivery of this level crossing removal project, which eliminated two of Melbourne’s most congested railway crossings at Mont Albert and Union Roads. The project involved sinking the rail line into a trench and consolidating Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Stations into a new Union Station.
Care was taken to ensure that the project benefitted not only road users, but also the wider community, with major improvements to the public realm that build on the unique qualities of the area. At Union Road, a widened bridge structure over the rail trench doubles as a new civic plaza enlivened by a climbable sculpture. A former car park was converted into a terraced garden, home to banks of seating and public amenities.
Care was taken to ensure that the project benefitted not only road users, but also the wider community, with major improvements to the public realm that build on the unique qualities of the area. At Union Road, a widened bridge structure over the rail trench doubles as a new civic plaza enlivened by a climbable sculpture. A former car park was converted into a terraced garden, home to banks of seating and public amenities.
The new landscape forges strong links between the two sides of the tracks, knitting together the two local shopping precincts and supporting a vibrant village culture. Layered canopies, traditional materials and soft colours help to integrate the new infrastructure supporting Union Station with its surrounds. The canopies allow for natural, dappled light to filter through to the two main concourses, which can be accessed by pedestrians via four separate entrances.
Existing public spaces have been enhanced and reworked to form part of a larger network of parks and plazas around the station. In the south, Lorne Parade Reserve has seen improvements, including the addition of a nature-based play space, and land on Montrose Street has been repurposed as a pocket park and an inviting entrance for the station.
The core design challenge lay in accommodating the 1.3-kilometre trench, the new station, and road and pathway systems, in a way that respected and enhanced what was already there. The design solution was formed out of intense collaboration with local councils and the community, and the success of the result lies not only in the removal of dangerous and congested level crossings, but also in its creation of an expansive contribution to the public good.
- TEAM Hassell, South Eastern Program Alliance (Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs, LXRP, MTM)
- Photography ASPECT Studios and Serco Drone Photography
