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Trams running down St. Kilda Road and routes to the north-west are set to be the beneficiary of service frequency increases when the new timetable comes online from Sunday 20th of May.

Spring Street announced the service increases to coincide with the re-opening of the temporary Domain interchange tram stop which has just re-entered service after work to make way for the construction of the new Anzac metro station was completed.

In some cases, the service increases are focused outside of weekdays - for instance, the West Coburg - Toorak route, the 58, will see 6 trams per hour (a tram every 10 minutes) on Sundays - this represents 1 extra tram per hour.

The Bundoora RMIT - Docklands route, the 86, is also set to see frequency increases on weekends. 

Overall, however, the bulk of the service increases are at times 'surrounding' peak periods - this effectively means more frequent services for longer into the mornings and evenings beyond the end of the traditional peak periods.

The service improvements include:

<blockquote>
Extra services are being added to St Kilda Road (Routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67 and 72) and the north-west (Routes 19, 57, 58 and 59) in the times surrounding peak periods to provide more travel options for people affected by construction of the Metro Tunnel.

Turn-up-and-go frequencies mean trams will operate every 10 minutes at specified times.

Details of changes:

<ul>
<li>Route 58 is being upgraded to a turn-up-and-go 10-minute frequency from 10am until 7pm on weekends through the provision of extra services.</li>
	<li>Route 86 will also be upgraded to a turn-up-and-go frequency from 12pm until 4pm on Sundays, and will align with Route 96 in Bourke Street to create a regular service along this busy corridor.</li>
	<li>Routes 1, 6, 19, 57, 58 and 59 will have more evening trams on weeknights, arriving every 15 minutes until 9pm.</li>
</ul>
Yarra Trams <a href="http://www.yarratrams.com.au/media-centre/news/articles/2018/new-tram-timetable-begins-on-20-may-2018/">media release</a>
</blockquote>

Yarra Trams also says that route 58 will see more low-floor trams run during inter-peak times, citing all the medical facilities that are connected by the tram route.

St Kilda Road was closed as part of the construction blitz over the Easter school holidays in order to move the tram stop so construction on the Anzac station could begin in earnest.

Early works in the area have included diverting the South Yarra main sewer in the area.

As we <a href="/news/planning-scheme-changes-for-pakenham-cranbourne-sunbury-upgrades-online">discussed in March</a>, submissions on the proposed planning scheme amendments for rail infrastructure required in the Sunbury and Dandenong corridors close this Saturday (21st of May).  To make a submission, click <a href="http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/planning/planning-scheme-amendments/ria-and-rsa-gc96">here</a>.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/st_k_road.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The re-opened Tram stop near the site of the new Anzac Metro station - image: MMRA"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="266" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/st_k_road.jpg?itok=0I4CgQvO" title="The re-opened Tram stop near the site of the new Anzac Metro station - image: MMRA" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The re-opened Tram stop near the site of the new Anzac Metro station - image: MMRA</figcaption></figure>
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Alastair Taylor

Tram network scores a round of service frequency increases in new May timetable

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The advocacy group behind the 'AirTrain' rail vision for Victoria has called on the $5 billion to be allocated in the Federal budget to be deployed on a Melbourne Airport Rail Link that will benefit not just the city, but the state.

Citing the four routes from a 5-year-old study that was on display at the Prime Ministers press conference at the airport last week, the Rail Futures Institute says none of them include meaningful connections from the airport to regional areas.

Not impressed with a direct route via the Maribyrnong defense site - which the Federal Government owns and is actively looking to unload from the balance sheet - RFI says rail to Melbourne Airport would likely be delayed due to widespread decontamination works required.

<blockquote>
The Rail Futures AirTrain proposal is the only serious Melbourne Airport rail option that includes direct connections from the airport to regional rail lines.

Fully executed, AirTrain would link Tullamarine to the Bendigo and Seymour/Shepparton/Albury lines and provide an efficient interchange to the Ballarat and Geelong lines and the coming Melbourne Metro line at a newly expanded station at Sunshine.

All other metropolitan lines and the Gippsland line would connect at Southern Cross station.

Rail Futures’ proposal will provide dedicated airport trains with large luggage spaces running every 10 minutes, stopping only at Sunshine, and take 15 minutes for the journey – half the average 30-minute duration of other proposals.

Partly in-tunnel, the AirTrain railway would be an entirely new build that would not share tracks with much slower metropolitan trains.

“The best airport rail links are dedicated builds with minimal stations between the airport and the city,” Mr Hearsch said. 

“Many overseas airports also have regional trains stopping at the airport station. We envisage that Melbourne Airport will progressively become a major public transport hub, with both heavy and light rail connections, a tram extension from Airport West and a greatly expanded network of metropolitan bus services, providing serious alternatives to our current car dependency.”
<cite>Rail Futures Institute <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/2018/04/rfi-media-release-on-federal-governments-melbourne-airport-commitment/">media release</a>.</cite>
</blockquote>

The concept of a public transport hub at Melbourne Airport is gaining traction with some advocates calling for a more comprehensive ground transport plan for the area which would include projects like extending tram routes and creating new high-frequency bus services to areas not directly served by an airport rail link.

These areas that would not be served directly by an airport rail link are to Melbourne's middle-outer north, given that most rail alignment proposals are either running directly north-west from the city, swing via Sunshine in the west or use the Craigieburn train line. 

In the 'AirTrain' vision, people living in or traveling to the East, South East or South from the airport, broadly consistent with an arc sweeping from the Lilydale line to the Frankston and Sandringham lines, would use their local train service and then be able to make a connection to the new airport link.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/rfi_airtrain.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The alignment of RFI's 'AirTrain' vision"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="392" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rfi_airtrain.png?itok=Ms7zK8gY" title="The alignment of RFI's 'AirTrain' vision" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The alignment of RFI's 'AirTrain' vision</figcaption></figure>With an intermediate stop at Sunshine, people traveling on the Sunbury line, eventually an electrified Melton line, the Geelong &amp; Warrnambool lines as well as the Ballarat-Ararat/Maryborough lines will all be able to make a connection outside of the centre of the city.

Sunshine already enjoys a very high amount of accessibility on rail-based public transport - a Melbourne Airport Rail Link would increase this accessibility markedly to an area which at present has just under 15,000 jobs.

The Sunshine National Employment and Innovation Cluster <a href="https://vpa.vic.gov.au/project/sunshine-employment-cluster/">planning work</a> is set to facilitate both employment and diversified mixed-use residential growth in the region.

Lead image credit: <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/2017/12/hume-rail-corridor-presentation/">RFI</a>
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Rail Futures Institute calls on Melbourne Airport Rail Link to be built for all Victorians

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Two weeks ago the Minister for Public Transport <a href="/news/melbournes-new-bus-operator-contracts-announced">announced</a> three companies which operate bus routes in Melbourne have signed on to new performance-based contracts.

Ventura, Donric and CDC Victoria were announced as the three companies which signed on the dotted line for contracts which would "provide more flexibility to improve and expand services where they are needed most."

Fast forward two weeks, CDC Victoria has announced it has acquired Tullamarine Bus Lines Pty Ltd that will see the number of routes it operates in Melbourne rise from 74 to 81.

CDC Victoria operates primarily in the west of Melbourne however it has 9 routes based out of <a href="http://cdcvictoria.com.au/timetables/melbourne-oakleigh">Oakleigh</a>, including the 900 series Smart bus which runs between Rowville and Caulfield via Chadstone and Monash University. 

The 900 Smart bus, an east-west cross-town route in the eastern suburbs, looks set to be upgraded to light rail with the announcement last week that Spring Street will allocate $3 million in this year's budget to do the planning work for a new tram/light rail route.

The Melbourne presence of CDC is concentrated in the <a href="http://cdcvictoria.com.au/timetables/melbourne-wyndham">Wyndham</a> where it recently opened a new depot as well as operating <a href="http://cdcvictoria.com.au/timetables/melbourne-sunshine">12 routes</a> through the Sunshine region.  CDC Victoria also operates routes in Ballarat and Geelong.

CDC Victoria is a subsidiary of Singapore listed ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited which has operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the UK, Ireland and China.

Tullamarine Bus Line's 7 routes are as you'd expect, focused in the Tullamarine (suburb) area of Melbourne covering cross-town routes in the north as well as radial routes to and from the airport.

Highlighting the haphazard local public transport access to Melbourne Airport - and an issue that would ideally be solved through a package of new routes and frequency upgrades at the same time as the mooted Melbourne Airport Rail Link is brought online, Tullamarine Bus Lines operates the hourly 478 service from Airport West to Melbourne Airport. 

Could we see a better local network of buses to the airport on the horizon?

<blockquote>
The acquisition of Tullamarine Bus Lines is a strategic move to consolidate our operations in north-west Melbourne. 

The area has good population growth with many new developments in the pipeline.

The continued growth of the Tullamarine Airport has also strengthened demand for public transport services in the area
<cite>Yang Ban Seng, Chairman of CDC Victoria</cite>
</blockquote>

The acquisition of Tullamarine Bus Lines by CDC Victoria brings the total number of buses in the fleet under the new umbrella close to 500 across all operations in the state.  CDC Victoria has a sub-fleet of double-decker buses which were unveiled in 2015 and bought to operate routes which interface with the Regional Rail Link.

Glancing at the history of any of Melbourne's bus operating companies paints a picture of growth through acquisition - will the new paradigm accelerate consolidation and furthermore translate into better services?  It's not abundantly clear but worth keeping one eye on. 
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More consolidation to come? Tullamarine buses acquired by CDC Victoria

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A part of the Eastern / Autumn school holiday construction blitz has come to a close with the re-opening of rail services to the newest of Melbourne's rebuilt stations in Clayton.

The Minister for Public Transport has opened the new Clayton Station this morning marking the second of five new stations to re-open that are being rebuilt as part of the level crossing removal project between Caulfield and Dandenong.

Clayton Road and Centre Road are now level crossing free.  The new elevated track over Centre and Clayton Roads, as well as the new Clayton station,  were built adjacent to the original station and track, utilising the wide rail corridor in the area.

The design for the new Clayton station mimics the first station to open - Noble Park - where the new track is aligned on either side of an island platform, with escalators, lifts and stairs allowing access to the entry located below.

The same distinctive canopy also adorns Clayton station - and they will also appear over Hughesdale, Murrumbeena and Carnegie stations.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/clayton_station_canopy1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The canopy over the new Clayton Station - image: LXRA"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/clayton_station_canopy1.jpg?itok=61ePl6rp" title="The canopy over the new Clayton Station - image: LXRA" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The canopy over the new Clayton Station - image: LXRA</figcaption></figure>The removal of Clayton Road and Centre Road brings the total number of level crossings removed to 17.

Jacinta Allan said on the opening of Clayton's new station "it's simply not okay to have ambulances regularly waiting at boom gates for five or ten minutes at a stretch - yet this is exactly what has happened at this crossing for decades."

The Minister continued "this brings us another step closer to achieving exactly what we said we would - getting rid of every single level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
New Clayton station <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skyrailing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skyrailing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gettingitdone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gettingitdone</a> <a href="https://t.co/OEtwhyJx8f">pic.twitter.com/OEtwhyJx8f</a>
— Shaun Leane (@ShaunLeaneMP) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/ShaunLeaneMP/status/985717057823031296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2018</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Meanwhile, the Easter construction blitz is still underway on the Hurstbridge line with the Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) posting new images over the weekend on the Rosanna project.

Rail, sleepers and ballast have now been installed on the new rail viaduct with station works in full swing.

Rosanna's new station, rail-over-road bridge is also part of a tunnel duplication project that is removing a single track section on the Hurstbridge Line.

The first of the single track pinch points was duplicated late last decade and with the works to duplicate the Heidelberg-Rosanna section to be completed by early May, the only remaining single track sections on the Hurstbridge line are beyond Greensborough.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/rail_viaduct_rosanna2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Rail has recently been laid on the rail overpass in Rosanna - image: LXRA"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rail_viaduct_rosanna2.jpg?itok=4Ui1SR8M" title="Rail has recently been laid on the rail overpass in Rosanna - image: LXRA" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Rail has recently been laid on the rail overpass in Rosanna - image: LXRA</figcaption></figure>Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/levelcrossings/photos/?tab=album&amp;album_id=1552107091530637">here</a> to see the Level Crossing Removal Authority's Rosanna image gallery.
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Clayton station re-opens, works continue at Rosanna

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It's budget season! 

Laurence and I discuss the tsunami of transport initiatives announced during the week including City of Melbourne's transport strategy, the new light rail line to Chadstone, Monash and Rowville as well as the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

 

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Weekly Podcast: Episode 10 - Rowville light rail and Melbourne Airport Rail Link

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The Prime Minister this morning, at a press conference on the departures level at Melbourne Airport, announced the Federal Government will allocate $5 billion in this year's budget to kick start the construction of a Melbourne Airport Rail Link (MARL).

In last year's budget $30 million was allocated from Federal Coffers - and matched by Spring Street to the tune of $20 million - to pay for a study which would figure out a way to accelerate the rollout of the MARL.

That study is still underway and at a press conference, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Federal Treasurer and Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, stood next to a map of Melbourne which depicted 4 possible routes the rail line might take.

Those routes were first foreshadowed under the Napthine Government in their MARL study - see a summary of that study <a href="https://static.ptv.vic.gov.au/siteassets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Feasibility-Studies/Melbourne-Airport-Rail-Link-Study-Overview-brochure.pdf">here</a>.

The State Government was apparently made aware of this Federal Government commitment via a letter sent to the Premier on Wednesday night, after the Federal Government dropped the story in the lap of some of the Herald Sun's press gallery journalists.

When the Prime Minister was pressed on this at the media conference, he responded with "oh well look its very important that Melburnians are enthused and engaged, we want everyone in Melbourne to have their say in this, we want this to be a project that enlivens and excites the whole city, the whole state".

The Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison said that "this nationally important project for Tulla-rail will be the single largest infrastructure commitment in this year's budget and it'll be there for Victoria and the people for Melbourne and as the deputy prime minister I'm sure will say, well beyond the Melbourne [airport] precinct here".

The Planning work is still underway and despite standing next to a map which was devised five years earlier, no other information was divulged at the press conference - nothing on whether the study is taking into account the changes that are occurring to the Melbourne rail network, now that the city is in high growth mode.

Originally, the Napthine Government saw the Melbourne Airport Rail Link as an extension of the new Pakenham/Cranbourne to Sunbury/Melton metro line - there would be a Melbourne Airport and Rowville branch built in phase 3 according to the older network development plans.

On Tuesday the State Government announced what would have been a heavy rail line to Rowville is now a light rail line via Monash University, Chadstone to Caulfield.  

The Rail Futures Institute has been one external to government organisation that has long held a vision for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link that goes well beyond servicing just Melbourne and its airport, but includes a second phase that would pave the way for regional trains heading to Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill as well as Seymour and Shepparton to be completely separated from the metro network as well.

In a November 2017 speech to the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Geelong, the Premier hinted at the MARL would resemble something like the Rail Futures Institute vision with a focus on connecting the state, not just Melburnians to the airport.

"It can't just be an expensive funnel for tourists and businesspeople between the CBD and airport.  Instead, it can transform the way people live, work and travel across Victoria. In our view, the airport rail link has the potential to unlock western and northern Victoria."

The Rail Futures Institute's vision would see three tunnels - one from Southern Cross to Tottenham, another at Sunshine, and the last tunnel at Melbourne airport, where a second phase would then connect the airport to the Bendigo line at Clarkefield and the Seymour-Shepparton line at Wallan.  The Sunshine and Footscray tunneling segments would likely be approximately 10-11km in length with only one station at Sunshine.

The Federal Government, it has been reported, is more keen on a direct line from Melbourne via Victoria University in Footscray, Highpoint, the land it owns in Maribyrnong on the old arms manufacturing site and at Milleara and Buckley Street bordering Avondale Heights and Keilor East.  This proposal would require upwards of 13km of tunnels and 4 underground stations.

At Melbourne Airport, under a Rail Futures Vision scenario, the station would be underground thus requiring tunnels that could be built over two phases with an underground station.  If the Federal Government's favoured direct route via the Maribyrnong defence site is chosen and would only operate as a City-Airport line with no other regional connections, it's conceivable a cheaper elevated terminus station could be built at the airport.

The Federal Treasurer said the study will be complete by September/October.

<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FofficeofthePMAU%2Fvideos%2F1489456684497654%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="100%"></iframe>

Lead image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melbourne_Airport_VIC_3045,_Australia_-_panoramio_(1).jpg">wikipedia</a>.
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Federal Government wants to tip $5 billion into a Melbourne Airport Rail Link

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Last week when Spring Street announced it would be allocating $3 million for the planning work on a tram line between Caulfield and Rowville, the concept of a heavy rail line to Rowville was given its marching orders.

The Monash region - what the Victorian Planning Authority calls a National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC) - hosts the highest concentration of jobs outside of central Melbourne and the tram/light rail planning money announced last week was originally foreshadowed in the Victorian Planning Authority's draft framework for the area.

Wellington Road was delineated with a line suggesting "investigate high capacity Public Transport". Et voilà, Spring Street has done just that - except the public were not given any context or reason for the route - the planning money was billed as the first step in 'getting it done' to use the State Government's mantra.

All the other major roads that run through the Monash NEIC are also marked as 'focal point(s) for intensification and high capacity public transport'.  Given the scale of the entire cluster, buses currently are and will be a major focus but is it worth continuing to explore other rail-based public transport options?

One such route, flagged by UM members commenting on previous articles, is Springvale Road, specifically between Nunawading and Springvale (or Huntingdale station via Wellington and North Roads).  

The same group that has one of the more robust visions for Melbourne Airport Rail Link, the Rail Futures Institute, has in the past also identified Wellington Road and North Road as a possible new Light Rail corridor from Monash westwards to Gardenvale.

Spring Street's $3 million allocation of funding for the planning of a tram link between Caulfield and Rowville, built over two phases, suggests there's at least an appetite for looking beyond heavy rail to get more of the suburbs moving out of their cars.  

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The announcement was made without a disclosure of a wider network development plan, nor, disappointingly, any specifics on other projects in the Monash region - even though areas for investigation had been identified through the VPA planning process.

Regardless, the first route that comes to mind for a more detailed investigation is Springvale Road which runs along the eastern edge of the Monash Cluster and connects other employment centres in Springvale itself, Brandon Park, Glen Waverley, Tally Ho business park in Burwood east and Nunawading.

As discussed last week, the planning work that will commence on the bank of the funding announcement will nail down a route and station/stop locations.  If the focus is on speed, as we <a href="/news/the-new-tram-to-the-south-east-what-wed-like-to-see">mused last week</a>, a greater degree of separation between rail and private car vehicles will be needed.

This emphasis on separation, speed and frequency should be translated into other routes if they are at all on the horizon.

Monash's NEIC is the largest in the metro area which will see many thousands of new jobs added over time - not everyone's going to commute from the city out there.

Despite it being budget and the start of the election season, we need only look at the Fishermans Bend planning process to see a good example of land-use and transport planning working in tandem (at least, it's a step in the right direction). 

'Getting it done' to Monash and Rowville might work well with the voting punters, but it's a case of two steps forward, one step back - like Fishermans Bend, we need to see a cluster-wide transport plan.
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Is 'getting it done' good enough for the Monash cluster?

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<h2>Comment</h2>

The state government has signalled its $3 million 2018 budget contribution announced on Tuesday for the planning work on the new south-east tram line will lead to the project implementation.

The planning work to be funded will come up with a defined route, station location, determine the benefits as well as the costs and inform a shovels-in-the-ground date.

We're yet to see the strategic context of the project - we can only assume this tram/light rail project has been borne out of a network development plan for the tram network. 

Regardless, given planning work will soon be funded and the very small amount of information that has been released on the project points to a route that remains very much high level.  Included below are some of my thoughts on the decisions that will need to be made.

<h2>Passenger-carrying capacity &amp; scalability</h2>

Is 3000 people per direction per hour enough capacity over the coming years?  E-Class trams have been used as an example of vehicle size by the Minister and why not?  They're the biggest in the existing fleet and they are of a size that is typically used elsewhere on light rail projects, whether in isolation or in a train with two vehicles coupled together.

If we're using the E-class as a baseline and want to think about scalability of the infrastructure that needs to be built then a minimum platform length of 60 metres will be required (E-Class vehicles are 33 metres long, if a vehicle using an E-Class or equivalent vehicle were to be chosen, platforms mightn't need to be 66 metres in length as the drivers cabs at both ends can overhang the platforms).

60 metre trams or 'train or trams' would allow each service to double in passenger carrying capacity - in the realm of 400 passengers per vehicle.  That would translate, assuming a 4 minute frequency of service, into 6000 passengers per direction per hour.

<h2>Rapid transit or a long, local bus-on-rails?</h2>

Is the aim to rapidly connect Chadstone and the Monash NEIC as well as bring rail services to the outer east or to create a standard bus-on-rails tram service with a stop every 500m?  I'd favour rapid over bus-on-rails - if there's no speed advantage, what hope for mode shift is there?  

Suffice it to say, there's a major opportunity to reconfigure the entire bus network in the area so frequent buses (15 minutes or better) can connect the lower-density suburban areas with the major nodes and stations along the route.

As the announcement came out of the blue and had a double-whammy - linking Caulfield rather than a station like Oakleigh of Huntingdale like in the Rowville Rail study - rapid transit seems to be the focus and therefore the number of stations should be informed by this decision.  

<h2>Introduce good quality prioritisation and signalling</h2>

The Melbourne Metro project will roll out a modern signalling system that will stop trains at the precise location to line up with station platform doors; it should be considered that this new light rail/tram line has a similar system, at least in parts where stations will be elevated or otherwise space-constrained.

Introducing this level of automation would allow drivers of the rail vehicles to stop consistently.

As a general rule, the route should be designed to be built in a road's median in appropriate areas to lessen capital costs.  Those appropriate areas would most likely be between the signalised intersections with cross-roads.

Trams should have signal priority as they approach lower-volume crossroad intersections (i.e Darling and Belgrave road) where 100-200m from the intersection, the rail vehicle would trigger signals that control the intersection up ahead by showing a red to all traffic movements that would conflict with the rail services, allowing the rail vehicles to cruise through the intersections without stopping.

<h2>The first and second phase route</h2>

The five strategic outcomes in the <a href="https://vpa-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Monash-NEIC-framework-plan_March2017_WEB.pdf">Monash NEIC draft framework plan</a> are:

<ol>
<li>Grow employment and innovation in the health, education and research precinct (Monash University area)</li>
	<li>Boost jobs growth and development attractive employment areas with business town centres (Notting Hill, Mulgrave)</li>
	<li>Transform the transport network to support economic growth of the cluster</li>
	<li>Develop public open space and community infrastructure</li>
	<li>Plan and develop urban renewal and strategic sites.</li>
</ol>
This upcoming study should consider an alternative route from Chadstone to the Monash NEIC (other than the one depicted in the published information thus far). Like Dandenong Road, Ferntree Gully Road has a wide median and a future business town centre has been earmarked on the road within the northern reaches of the Monash NEIC.

The Dandenong Road route shown in public government information thus far would doubtlessly be simpler to implement, however there is a neat route that might work by sending the tram route down Ferntree Gully Road then turning southward through Notting Hill alongside the CSIRO and through the heart of the Monash University campus to Wellington Road.

The primary advantage of this route is that it links three earmarked activity centres that will be a focus for the wider cluster - assuming the two phase build scenario is eventually adopted, in the first phase one business town centre and the Monash University activity centre would be linked from the get-go.  The second business town centre would be linked upon the completion of the second phase out to Rowville.

<h2>Up high, down low or in between?</h2>

An entirely grade separated railway would be ideal as there would be no conflicts with existing or near-future vehicular movements, however in the interests of sweating existing corridor assets more - Infrastructure Victoria recommends we sweat all our assets more - a partial grade separation solution should be chosen.

The Caulfield-Chadstone section would likely need little grade separation - see points above about surface tracks and signal priority at lower vehicular volume crossroads.

In the Chadstone-North Oakleigh area however, the route will need to cross Warrigal Road and deal with high volumes of vehicle movements into and out of the Chadstone precinct - a grade separated route should be chosen in this area. 

As elevated track (and stations) are cheaper to build compared to underground track and stations, I'd suggest an elevated section of track which lifts up over Poath/Chadstone Road and then continues at the higher level all the way to after the Ferntree Gully Road/Dandenong Road section.

Whether a Dandenong Road route or a Ferntree Gully route is chosen, this would be the ideal area to bring the track back down to the surface - it would completely avoid an area with very high volumes of vehicular traffic.  That section measures approximately 2.5 km.

Within the Monash NEIC itself, again, speed should be the focus and employing grade separation would be most ideal.   

If a Dandenong Road route was chosen this would start just north of the Dandenong Road/Wellington Road intersection and continue along Wellington Road to the eastern side of Springvale Road.

If a Ferntree Gully Road route was chosen, Stephensons Road would be at-grade with tram prioritisation and then lift up and remain elevated along Ferntree Gully Road, Howleys road &amp; Scenic boulevard through the university campus (or Blackburn Road if that corridor is deemed a better option) then turning eastward on Wellington Road the elevated track would come back down to the surface east of Springvale Road.  This elevated section would measure almost 5km.

From Springvale Road the Rowville Rail Study should inform the route choice and whether to elevate (or send track underground) - Waverley Park station at Jells Road was originally going to be sunk underground, this might work just as well for light rail as the station would be located at the top of a relatively steep hill.

Eastlink should be a grade-separated intersection and likewise if the terminus of the line is to be at Stud Park shopping centre, the tram line should also lift up over the Wellington &amp; Stud Road intersection and travel along a short section of elevated track to the terminus at Stud Park.

<h2>Stations</h2>

If speed is the favoured focus then stations should be limited to the major nodes and areas where planning schemes can be altered to develop the surrounding land intensively.

As you see in the map below, there are only stations marked at Caulfield, Chadstone, North Oakleigh, Ferntree Gully Road, Monash University, Westall Road, Waverley Park, Rowville and Stud Park.

The Station at Rowville, right near the Eastlink interchange with Wellington Road is an ideal park and ride location if that is a focus of the new line.  Ditto Stud Park.

The Station at North Oakleigh is already in an area zoned for more intensive development with projects already being marketed.

Westall Road, and its eventual extension to the Monash Freeway, is right next to the second business town centre in the VPA's draft framework.

The Monash University station is located on the 'SE3' car park - there's an opportunity to consolidate the existing bus terminal underneath the light rail station.

The Chadstone station location represents an opportunity for the centre owner to expand and connect directly with the new light rail station.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/embed?mid=1U5ZsF3koHC8ximdWNHW5zqXM5IRC4SWs" width="100%"></iframe>
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The new tram to the south-east - what we'd like to see

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The State Government has announced this year's budget will include $3million to kick off the planning for a new tram / light rail line which would use the Dandenong Road and Wellington Road corridors and link Caulfield, the Monash employment cluster &amp; university and eventually Rowville.

It is anticipated the new tram line would be built in two phases between Caulfield &amp; Monash University and then between Monash University and Rowville.

The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said that using a vehicle such as the E-class tram which has a capacity for 200 passengers, if the new line were to run a tram every 4 minutes, that could move 3000 people per direction per hour.

Rowville has had a rail line study before, initiated and tabled under the previous state government, and while much of that report is about to be superseded, its lessons still hold.

Under the original Rowville study, it was assumed the line would only have a frequency of a train every 10 minutes in peak and would include stations at Huntingdale, Monash University, Mulgrave (Springvale Road), Waverley Park and Rowville.

Assuming a heavy train capacity of 1000 passengers, the Rowville heavy rail line, as studied under the previous government, would have a capacity of 6000 passengers per direction per hour in peak.

On paper, it might seem that trams have an inferior carrying capacity, however many new light rail systems around the world are using vehicles - like E-class trams - in pairs, linked together like a train, thus increasing capacity.  

Throw in the fact that the capital costs for a light rail line system will most certainly be cheaper than a heavy rail system, any previous the benefit-cost ratio will shift - especially as smaller vehicles will provide higher frequencies.  

The new planning work looks set to take a year and will study the best place for stops, alignments, costs, benefits and service patterns.

At the same time, the Victorian Planning Authority is in the final stages of its work on the <a href="https://vpa.vic.gov.au/project/monash-employment-cluster/">Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster</a> which identified Wellington Road as a corridor that required investigation for rapid public transport.

It is unclear whether the public will have the chance to have their say on any of the aspects of the project.
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Spring Street announces budget money for a new tram line between Caulfield, Monash University and Rowville

The Premier&#39;s <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-tram-to-connect-citys-south-east/">media release</a>&nbsp;from yesterday says $3million for the new tram line to the south-east will be used &quot;for design and planning works to examine alignments, park and ride options, stop locations, cost and travel time benefits.&quot;&nbsp;

On a Channel 9 news report aired on their 6pm bulletin on Tuesday night, footage showed the Premier stating emphatically this money is not a repeat of the Rowville Rail Study under the previous government, it&#39;s to kick off the project in earnest with a commitment to build it and the planning work will tell them how much the project will cost.

From the little information that has been published thus far, we can ascertain the broad route would use (presumably) Sir John Monash drive to connect Caulfield station to <a href="/new-apartments/dandenong-vic-3175">Dandenong Road</a>, then run in the media of Dandenong Road all the way down to <a href="/new-apartments">Wellington Road</a> and then follow that road&#39;s median out to Rowville.

<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="400" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJacintaAllanMP%2Fvideos%2F1513463275430824%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="100%"></iframe>Will it be a tram with tracks located on the surface in road medians, fighting for priority at intersections or a light rail system which would have some surface interaction but also its own right-of-way, segregated from traffic?&nbsp; One would hope the benefits and costs of either scenario are studied when a route is determined.

One would also hope that it does&nbsp;not&nbsp;become a bog standard tram extension into a middle-to-outer suburban median like the route #75 which has to deal with all the traffic lights at intersections.

A light on the hill for the route outlined by the government is that Dandenong Road is already well set up for trams in the sense that there are long distances between major intersections and the only right turning activity is so vehicles can access service lanes between the signalised intersections.

The street-view below is typical of Melbourne&#39;s major arterials - this is one of the types of conflicts a new tram route in an arterial median must deal with.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1523404226600!6m8!1m7!1s4aY90ZR9MQL1QKB2sx6h-g!2m2!1d-37.88483591874243!2d145.0639961231745!3f51.279587647044295!4f-11.50342230769914!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

Light rail and tram systems around the world also deploy priority signals and at-grade intersections where rail services must traverse a cross-road and this could be appropriate for cross-roads which have lower levels of vehicular traffic - for instance, Darling and Belgrave Roads would have less traffic than say <a href="/developments/springvale-vic-3171">Springvale</a>, <a href="/developments/ferntree-gully-vic-3156">Ferntree Gully</a> or Stud roads.

For the major cross-road intersections, the government should be opening their wallets a little more and build the new tram/light rail line with grade separation, especially if speed/time is the goal.

Even though stations are marked in the video from the Minister for Public Transport&#39;s facebook page, that could change given the statement the Premier made on route and station determination.

As frustrating as the government&#39;s media strategy of only focusing on &#39;announcables&#39; without providing a bigger picture, it&#39;s left to us to tie everything together.

When we consult the <a href="https://vpa-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Monash-NEIC-framework-plan_March2017_WEB.pdf">draft framework plan for the Monash Nation Employment and Innovation Cluster</a>,&nbsp;we see two major &#39;business town centres&#39; - one located on Ferntree Gully Road and another between the to-be-built Westall Road intersection and the Springvale Road intersection on Wellington Road.

Both of these two new business town centres are surrounded by areas earmarked for further higher density employment spaces.&nbsp; The scale on the image below has been cropped for image fit purposes but the circles at Monash University, Westall station and on Dandenong Road between Blackburn and Westall Roads are earmarked for &#39;enhanced / future activity centres&#39; in the draft framework plan.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/monah_nec_1.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The draft Monash NEIC framework plan. Image: VPA"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="644" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/monah_nec_1.png?itok=SKzFvSu6" title="The draft Monash NEIC framework plan. Image: VPA" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>The draft Monash NEIC framework plan. Image: VPA</figcaption>
</figure>

In the absence of a published network development plan for trams (or an updated version of the heavy rail plan for that matter), part of the corridor that&#39;s set to get some budget money love has been studied before - the Rowville Rail Line study.

The previous government studied both the Rowville and Doncaster corridors and although they were focused on heavy rail, some of the research from the Rowville rail study is still relevant, especially when it comes to alignment and station location within Wellington Road.

In the Rowville Rail study, the preferred corridor was fully grade separated with either sunken stations (Monash University, Waverley Park) or elevated stations (Mulgrave/Springvale Road, Rowville) following median of Wellington Road in tunnels or on elevated track.

Utilising light rail technology, as the government appears to have decided, actually gives them a capital cost advantage: trams/light rail vehicles can comfortably traverse higher grades than a heavy rail line which in some cases will negate the need for tunnels and elevated sections when you compare to the Rowville Heavy Rail alignment.

Likewise, light rail &#39;trains&#39; are shorter and therefore they occupy potential conflict areas (like an at-grade intersection) for shorter periods of time and can clear stations much faster.&nbsp; This aids in pushing the limits on frequency of service and potentially converging lines on potential future expansions.

Smaller vehicles running on higher-frequencies - as long as the service is still rapid - also has the added benefit, especially for the outer east as under the Rowville Rail Study (and subsequent PTV network development maps back this up) the peak frequency in a heavy rail scenario was only ever going to be a train every 10 minutes.&nbsp;

A service every 4 minutes is much better from a passenger&#39;s perspective than 10 minutes - and note this is peak service, it&#39;s reasonable to expect that off-peak frequencies will be in the 6-8 minute range for trams versus a 15 minute off peak heavy rail service.

The Rowfille Rail Study was focused on connecting suburbs to the radial network - it went out of its way to exclude connecting major nodes like Chadstone - and a plus for this government announcement (regardless of the fact that context is fuzzy in the absence of a wider network development plan) as it shows the focus is on the jobs in Monash-Chadstone, not just on the CBD.

Analysis: the new tram route from Caulfield to Monash University and Rowville

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

Joel Robinson

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

&nbsp;

Developer GURNER™ Group has revealed $1.65 billion in residential sales nationally across the 12 months to December 2025, driven largely by the continued momentum of its Docklands wellness-focused precinct, Elysium Fields.

The sales result was generated across seven projects in Victoria and New South Wales, headlined by Elysium Fields, GURNER™’s $2.75 billion mixed-use precinct planned for Harbour Esplanade in Docklands.

The project has recorded more than $500 million in sales across the first three towers, equating to around 580 apartments sold.

The first tower, Helios, has now sold out of its 240 private residences, with GURNER™ preparing to release a premium penthouse collection comprising 15 three-bedroom penthouses in coming weeks.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370975]

Elysium Fields is being developed on the long-held 20,000 sqm Docklands site at 208-226 Harbour Esplanade, which had remained undeveloped for more than two decades prior to GURNER™ taking over the project around four years ago.

Construction has now commenced across four towers ranging between 18 and 30 storeys, with Hamilton Marino and Maxcon appointed as builders.

Once complete, the precinct is expected to comprise around 1,100 residences, alongside retail, hospitality and public realm uses integrated throughout the site.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370981]

Designed by Fraser &amp; Partners in collaboration with GURNER™ Design House, the project has been positioned around the developer’s broader focus on wellness-led residential living.

“We don’t sell apartments. We create a true luxury lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist elsewhere in the market today,” Founder and Executive Chairman Tim Gurner said.

“To deliver that requires an extraordinary level of detail, coordination and discipline across multiple verticals, from design and hospitality through to wellness and service.”

“We’ve always believed that living extends far beyond the physical residence. It’s about how you feel the moment you arrive, how you live day-to-day, and the ecosystem that supports that.” 
[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370977]

The project’s design places a heavy focus on landscaping, wellness amenities and biophilic design principles.

Plans include around 3,700 sqm of landscaped gardens and open space throughout the precinct, alongside a retail and dining offering spanning approximately 5,000 sqm.

The broader public realm strategy centres around what GURNER™ describes as the “Path of Life”, an urban forest and landscaped pedestrian environment intended to connect the various buildings and wellness spaces across the precinct.

The apartments themselves will incorporate a range of wellness-focused inclusions, including purified air and water systems, circadian lighting, antimicrobial surfaces, and optional in-home wellness upgrades.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370980]

Gurner said the company’s experience through its Saint Haven wellness clubs had directly informed the residential offering now being incorporated into Elysium Fields.

“We’re seeing a clear global shift toward longevity, performance and proactive health,” Gurner said.

“Our role is to deliver that in a way that feels seamless, highly private and beautifully resolved within the environments we create.”

A large component of the wellness offering is planned through the resident amenity and health facilities proposed within the precinct.

That includes plans for bathing and recovery facilities spread throughout the towers, incorporating mineral pools, saunas, steam rooms, flotation therapy, red light therapy and wellness lounges.

The developer is also seeking approvals for what it describes as a “reverse ageing medical clinic” within the precinct.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370978]

According to project information released by the group, the proposed facility would include cryotherapy, IV infusion therapy, infrared and dry saunas, PEMF beds, MRIs, DEXA scans, brain scans and blood analysis services.

Within the first tower, Helios, residents will also have access to a dedicated amenity offering known as the Sky Private Club.

The upper 15 levels of the building will include private lounges, dining spaces, rooftop amenities and optional private wellness studios integrated within residences.

The Helios tower itself comprises 260 apartments ranging between 60 sqm and 300 sqm, including a collection of penthouses.

That includes a planned two-storey penthouse spanning around 600 sqm with uninterrupted bay views.

The Elysium Fields precinct is being delivered in partnership with Digital Harbour Holdings, a consortium that includes the Liberman family, which controls the development rights across the Docklands site.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=144441 project_image_fid=370979]

The sales result comes as GURNER™ continues expanding its national development pipeline beyond Victoria.

“We have a strong pipeline across Australia and are now focused on scaling into key markets including New South Wales and Queensland, while continuing to build on our Melbourne base,” Gurner said.

“We currently have more than $3 billion in the market, growing to over $5 billion by October, and expect to materially outperform last year in the 2026 calendar year.”

The result also reflects the continued strength of the upper-end apartment market in Melbourne, particularly for owner-occupier-focused product with large-scale amenity and lifestyle offerings.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=144441]

Record result anchored by the Group’s “utopian” Elysium Fields precinct – defying market headwinds in Docklands.

Elysium Fields drive Gurner to $1.65 billion in apartment sales over 2025

National Australia Bank (NAB) will fund <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/palmera-residences-gold-coast-18-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Palmera</a>, a $1 billion, 52-level luxury residential tower being developed by Central Equity in one of the Gold Coast’s most tightly held coastal locations at Northcliffe.

The project, launched recently by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-equity">Central Equity</a>, one of Victoria’s largest private residential developers, comes at a time when construction funding for large residential developments has become increasingly competitive as lenders tighten exposure to the sector.

Multiplex has been appointed the builder, and construction is now underway.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365784]

Since its first project, Central Equity has delivered more than 85 residential developments with a combined end value exceeding $8 billion.

Palmera reflects Central Equity’s growing focus on the Gold Coast luxury apartment market and continues a relationship between Central Equity and NAB that dates back to the late 1980s, when the bank funded one of Melbourne’s earliest inner-city residential towers at a time when high-rise apartment living in the CBD was largely unproven.

“NAB’s funding of Central Equity’s $36 million CBD development in the late 1980’s to the financing of the billion-dollar tower today highlights the long-term relationship between the two organisations in delivering major residential projects” said Central Equity Founder and Chairman Eddie Kutner.

He said NAB’s early support was instrumental in helping establish the company’s development model.

“When we commenced our first residential tower in the late 1980s the concept of funding off-the-plan apartments was still largely untested in Australia,” Kutner said.

“NAB recognised the opportunity early and supported the project when others were uncertain. That relationship has now continued for more than 37 years across many developments.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365771]

Central Equity was established in 1987 when Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank precinct were still dominated by warehouses and commercial buildings. Fewer than 100 residents lived in Southbank at the time, and large-scale residential development in the inner city was not widely considered.

Recognising changing demographics and lifestyle preferences, the company began developing high-rise residential projects designed to bring permanent residents into the city centre.

Central Equity has provided accommodation for approximately 40,000 residents across Melbourne’s CBD and Southbank, while also incorporating supporting infrastructure including essential lifestyle facilities like retail spaces, childcare facilities and neighbourhood activity centres.

Central Equity has spent many years assembling the Palmera development site on the corner of Garfield Terrace and Frederick Street in Northcliffe, creating a supersite of around 3,300 sqm.

The developer said the Palmera apartment tower reflects its long-term view of the Gold Coast as a growing and increasingly diversified economy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365768]

Supported by infrastructure including the light rail network, major road upgrades expanded education, hospital and medical facilities and continued expansion at the Gold Coast Airport with more international and domestic flights.

Positioned in the tightly held Northcliffe precinct, the 52-level tower will deliver 347 apartments, targeting buyers seeking a high-end coastal lifestyle, from downsizers to interstate investors.

Designed by Marchese Partners with interiors by DBI, Palmera has been conceived as a next-generation residential offering, featuring a collection of oversized apartments, with premium three-bedroom residences offering sweeping northern views stretching from Surfers Paradise through to Burleigh Heads.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108274]

NAB funds $1 billion Surfers Paradise apartment development, Palmera

Two years after completing one of the newest developments in North Sydney, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/aqualand-australia">Aqualand</a> is turning its attention to the rapidly evolving St Leonards apartment market.

The developer, which completed AURA by Aqualand on North Sydney's Walker Street, has lodged plans for a 5,918 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/33-37-herbert-street-st-leonards-nsw-2065">33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards,</a> seeking approval for a pair of residential towers rising above a shared podium opposite Royal North Shore Hospital.

The proposal forms part of the broader transformation underway across the St Leonards-Crows Nest precinct, where former industrial and commercial sites are increasingly being redeveloped into high-density mixed-use projects tied to major transport infrastructure.

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2cc428cf-fe70-4cac-9cd5-264ad53af62c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=otKSnHtbjAvAddOnovyXQMgcAwE6DMe1" />

According to the planning documents, the site sits “within the St Leonards–Crows Nest Strategic Centre, identified by the NSW Government as a key area for accommodating future jobs and housing across Sydney.”

The proposal has been designed by fjcstudio, formerly FJMT Studio, and is being progressed through the State Significant Development pathway due to its scale and affordable housing provision.

The scheme would comprise 413 apartments, including 46 affordable housing units, alongside retail and commercial uses fronting Herbert Street. The project would also include communal open space, landscaping, a swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s play areas and podium-level resident amenities.

Planning documents show the development would consist of a part-13, part-39 storey tower form positioned above a four-storey podium.

“The development comprises a unified podium that activates the street interface, and two setback towers to accommodate new housing supply while maintaining an appropriate human scale at ground level,” fjcstudio noted in its Design Report.

The northern and southern towers have been shaped to respond to the surrounding skyline while also limiting overshadowing impacts to nearby public open space, particularly Talus Reserve.

The design report said the differing tower heights were intended to “contribute to a varied skyline while responding to the surrounding built form context and solar access considerations.”

<img alt="Aqualand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36da62dc-ff9e-41f2-a7e3-7be38373751c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%209.51.45%E2%80%AFAM_0.png?VersionId=Mo6Rp2r.XRLTzIfg_PEEpw8NepDH8UBs" />

The site sits directly opposite Royal North Shore Hospital and within walking distance of both St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

While the site itself sits just outside the formal Crows Nest Transport Oriented Development boundary, the planning documents repeatedly reference its alignment with the broader TOD objectives reshaping the Lower North Shore.

“The site is located adjacent to St Leonards Station and in close proximity to Crows Nest Metro which is within the Crows Nest Transit Orientated Development Accelerated Precinct which has been identified by the NSW Government to support housing delivery,” the Design Verification Statement noted.

According to fjcstudio, the project has been designed to respond to the broader transition occurring across St Leonards, where increasing residential density is being concentrated around transport infrastructure and employment hubs.

“The broader precinct is undergoing significant change, with a mix of existing mid-rise buildings and newer high-density developments,” the report stated.

“Recent and approved projects indicate a consistent shift toward taller built form, typically organised as tower-and-podium typologies with more active ground levels.”

The proposal includes close to 6,000 sqm of retail and commercial space across the ground floor and podium levels, designed to create a more activated street edge along Herbert Street.

Aqualand’s plans would also introduce a landscaped podium shared between the two towers, with communal open space in the form of a podium rooftop designed to support resident interaction and improve urban greening outcomes. The scheme would also introduce pocket parks at the northern and southern ends of the site, including a landscaped area at the corner of Herbert and Ella streets designed to improve pedestrian amenity and soften the streetscape.

&nbsp;

The proposal is being progressed through the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority pathway, which was introduced to accelerate housing supply across the state. The application was declared State Significant Development in April 2025 following an expression of interest process.

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St Leonards has been particularly active with new developments in recent weeks. Developer SP Setia’s <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-sp-setia-targets-st-leonards-skyline-with-40-storey-tod-tower">plans for a new 42-storey tower</a> recently went on exhibition through the same pathway, while <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">Stockland’s 52-storey tower proposal</a> was also recently unveiled.

Aside from the St Leonards project, which is expected to take around nine months to move through the approvals process ahead of a potential 2027 launch, Aqualand is also preparing to launch Boronia, a new apartment project in Roseville comprising around 111 apartments on Larkin Street.

The developer also has approvals in place for the next stage of the Barangaroo precinct, which will feature new residential, retail, hospitality and community uses, alongside a new metro entry across the five-hectare site.

More than 50 new retail destinations are planned for Central Barangaroo, alongside a 270-metre-long boulevard connecting Hickson Park to Nawi Cove. Together with Harbour Park, more than 50 per cent of the precinct will comprise public open space and parkland.

Alastair Taylor

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