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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.

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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

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

Joel Robinson

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

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Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

A collection of just 25 large-format apartments and penthouses overlooking Goodwin Park is entering the Coolangatta market, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marea-residences-coolangatta-27-27a-dixon-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Maréa Residences</a> combining a low-density, residential-only approach with uninterrupted park and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

Located at 27 Dixon Street, Maréa comprises three and four-bedroom residences alongside a limited number of dual-level penthouses, with the project positioned between Goodwin Park and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/coolangatta-qld-4225">Coolangatta</a>’s coastal precinct.

Construction has commenced, with completion currently estimated for late 2027. Three-bedroom residences are priced from $1.8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374005]

The project has been designed around its northern outlook across the park, with the building’s architecture, landscaping and material palette intended to establish a connection with the neighbouring green space. The residences have been configured to maximise natural light and views across Goodwin Park towards the ocean.

Inside, the material palette incorporates timber, stone and brushed brass, complemented by curved detailing and ambient lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms carry the same natural material approach, while residences also include basement parking, storage and lift access.

Maréa’s penthouses are arranged over two levels and include private pools, adding another layer to the project’s focus on larger-format apartment living. Across the development, residences are configured with three or four bedrooms rather than the broader mix of smaller apartment types commonly found in larger projects.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374010]

Resident amenity is concentrated at rooftop level, where landscaped entertaining terraces and pools take advantage of elevated views across Coolangatta and the Pacific Ocean.

The project has so far been particularly well received by local owner-occupiers and downsizers, according to Urban Activation Property Sales and Marketing Director Matt George, with the residential-only format, construction quality and northern park outlook among the features resonating with purchasers.

“The uninterrupted northern aspect overlooking Goodwin Park has been a key point of difference, with buyers attracted to the sense of serenity and open space the park provides, while still enjoying easy access to the ocean and being within walking distance of the lifestyle and amenities Coolangatta has to offer,” George said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374002]

“The combination of high-quality construction, a residential-only building, park outlook and proximity to the beach has resonated strongly with the local downsizer market.”

The Dixon Street address is within walking distance of Coolangatta Beach and the broader southern Gold Coast coastline, including the surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra. Coolangatta’s cafés, restaurants and retail are nearby, while Gold Coast Airport is also within close proximity.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150999]

Maréa Residences brings parkside apartments to Coolangatta

Melbourne developer PDG has secured Victorian Government approval for its $1.5 billion Southbank development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-1-queens-bridge-street-southbank-vic-3006">The One</a>, clearing the way for the long-dormant riverfront site opposite Crown to finally be developed.

The Minister for Planning has approved the project at 1-29 Queens Bridge Street, with the Department of Transport and Planning issuing the planning permit following its assessment.

The approval will allow PDG to develop the prominent 5,059 sqm site with a major mixed-use tower comprising premium apartments, including branded residences, a luxury hotel and boutique office space.

PDG acquired the site in late 2024, with its position directly opposite Crown's main entrance and near Melbourne's Arts Precinct making it one of Southbank's most significant remaining development opportunities.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3933013e-6332-4386-b9be-089df05caf17" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sITIgBqDL0N3VNSMwWEmF5UA.uvcsRyu" />

Designed by COX in collaboration with ODO and PDG, the tower's architecture draws on the movement of the Yarra River, with six vertical pleats running the height of the sculpted facade.

The project will also see the heritage-listed Queens Bridge Hotel restored and incorporated into the development&nbsp;with new hospitality and public uses, including a rooftop venue.

A significant component of The One will be its residential amenity.

More than 5,000 sqm of resident facilities will be delivered across a single level, making it one of the largest consolidated residential amenity offerings proposed in an Australian apartment development.

The planning approval also incorporates a major upgrade of Queensbridge Square, which PDG will deliver in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73167fcd-1031-4b6f-a408-a064cfe45ed1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.17%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Pf1AEWxw6SNmBqR0zQW5lyEze.MtxgFp" />

The existing square will be revitalised as a new civic and pedestrian space along the Yarra River, strengthening the connection between the project, Southbank and the riverfront.

PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the approval represented a major milestone for a site which has remained largely underutilised for more than 15 years.

“This is the most significant Planning Permit approval Melbourne has seen in recent years,” Giuliano said.

“For more than 15 years, this site has remained underutilised. This approval enables us to deliver a project that will contribute meaningfully to the revitalisation of Southbank, restore and reactivate an important heritage building, and create a new civic and hospitality destination for Melbourne.”

The latest approval follows an earlier planning permit issued by the City of Melbourne covering demolition works across part of the site at 9-29 Queens Bridge Street. Those demolition and early works are already underway.

PDG has also started generating early interest in the residential component from owner-occupiers ahead of a planned public launch in early 2027.

PDG secures approval for $1.5bn Southbank apartment development, The One

Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

Alastair Taylor

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