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>.

Joel Robinson

First look: Harridan plans Burke Street transformation beside Boggo Road transport hub

IN BRIEF

<ul>
	<li>
	Just three double-storey Sky Homes sit at the top of The Waterline, each with its own private marina berth and rooftop terrace.
	</li>
	<li>
	Construction on The Waterline is complete, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.
	</li>
	<li>
	Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and are priced from $3.65 million.
	</li>
</ul>

<hr />
Lewis Land has opened the first completed sky home for inspection at Harbour Shores, giving buyers their first opportunity to step inside one of just three double-storey residences crowning The Waterline.

Each sky home comes with its own private marina berth, rooftop terrace and Broadwater views, combining the scale of a larger home with direct access to the boating lifestyle that underpins the wider <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366708]

Lewis Land Head of Development Michael Long said the inclusion of a berth with every Sky Home had become increasingly valuable as marina access across the Gold Coast tightened.

“Marina berths are becoming increasingly difficult to secure across the Gold Coast, so including one with every Sky Home makes this a genuinely rare offering,” Long said.

“The private 70-berth marina will accommodate boats up to 12 metres in length and is positioned just 2.5 kilometres from the Broadwater, placing the open ocean only 15 minutes away.

“Being able to step out of your home onto your boat is a rare luxury, and it’s something residents here can look forward to when it opens later this year.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366709]

The display opening comes as construction completes on The Waterline, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.

The three Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and each feature three bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive kitchens with butler's pantries and large balconies taking in the Broadwater outlook.

Each residence also has three secure basement car spaces and additional storage.

“This is the first opportunity the Gold Coast has had to step into Harbour Shores and see, touch and feel what we’re bringing to life here,” Long said.

“There are only three Sky Homes within The Waterline, ranging in size from 282sqm to 367sqm, with each residence featuring three large bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive custom-built kitchens with butler’s pantry, and large balconies capturing Broadwater views.”

<img alt="Harbour Shores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bab65e10-4fab-45e1-92d8-fc56e2ab98ff" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-25%20at%202.00.16%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=XT8q76LsPkw3cYTsvN3JfFDaPLud90PN" />

Residents of The Waterline will have access to a private pool, along with Harbour Shores' wider collection of amenity including a lagoon pool, social clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga facilities and sauna.

Lewis Land partnered with Studio Collective to furnish the completed display, with the interiors designed to demonstrate how the residences could function as permanent homes rather than simply as show apartments.

Studio Collective Director Melissa Park said the surrounding waterways informed the interiors, but in a more restrained way than a traditional coastal scheme.

“We drew inspiration from the canals and coastal surrounds, but our approach was to interpret that subtly through layered materials and a grounded palette of earthy tones, rather than literal coastal references,” Park said.

“We introduced hero moments of green and teal to reference the surrounding waterways, while mirrored elements help reflect natural light.

“The result is a residence that feels elevated yet comfortable, somewhere buyers can genuinely imagine themselves living, entertaining and unwinding.”

Sky Homes are priced from $3.65 million.

Lewis Land is also offering private marina berths with The Residences, its limited collection of three and four-bedroom villas positioned directly along the Harbour Shores waterfront boardwalk.

Three-bedroom villas are priced from $2.99 million, while four-bedroom residences start from $3.19 million.

Harbour Shores is being marketed by Colliers International.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Lewis Land opens sky home display as The Waterline completes at Harbour Shores

St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia has filed plans for a major mixed-use housing precinct on the southern edge of the North Sydney CBD, adding another significant proposal to a pocket around North Sydn​ey Station that is quickly becoming one of the LGA's busiest development zones.

The State Significant Development Application covers a 5,990 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1-19-mackenzie-street-lavender-bay-nsw-2060">1-19 MacKenzie Street and 211 Blues Point Road in Lavender Bay</a>, immediately south of Nor​th Sydney Station and between the commercial core and the lower-rise Lavender Bay Heritage Conservation Area.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal would deliver a new residential tower comprising 88 build-to-sell apartments and 19 affordable apartments, alongside a separate co-living building with 57 rooms and a building manager's studio.

It would also see the significant restoration and upgrade of St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, the adaptive reuse of the former school building, new parish facilities, retail, a new public square and around 1,000 sqm of publicly accessible open space.

<img alt="Vinnies North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5dd7f87-a617-463e-b577-17541e01f0e9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.13%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4R8TsFN3P_LrrXO2HswTOIrx2blil8lh" />

The project is seeking a concurrent rezoning of the site to R4 High Density Residential and an increase in the maximum building height to allow a tower reaching RL120, or up to 20 storeys. The proposal was progressed through the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The build-to-sell component will be weighted toward larger apartments, with just six one-bedroom apartments compared with 31 two-beds, 43 three-beds and eight four-bedroom residences.

The 19 affordable apartments will comprise two studios, 15 one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments, taking the total apartment component to 107 residences before the 58 co-living rooms are included.

<img alt="Vnnies" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7d568ca5-cb90-4e18-96c6-d9795dba0c56" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=GY2R5M9VtQh0EKy1vajaea19PSLOPuRD" />

Wardle's design for the Vinnies site has sought to negotiate that emerging high-rise context while retaining the lower-scale character of MacKenzie Street and the adjoining heritage conservation area.

The main building adopts a three-storey podium and tower arrangement, with the podium aligned to the ridgeline and front setback of St Francis Xavier Church.&nbsp;Wardle has designed the podium with colonnades, seating, recessed entries and active ground-floor frontages, with sandstone-toned precast concrete and face brick referencing the materiality of the existing church.

The tower then steps back eight metres to the south and six metres to the north before rising in a sculpted form comprising four interlocking quadrants. Wardle has also introduced rounded forms and chamfered corners to reduce the tower's perceived bulk and improve view sharing with neighbouring development sites.

Resident facilities and outdoor areas are planned at the separation between the podium and tower at Level 3, oriented toward Sydney Harbour and the CBD skyline.

The tower itself will feature a glass reinforced concrete facade, with recessed balconies and deep reveals used both to provide shading and privacy and frame views toward the harbour and city. The lower levels take a different architectural approach, using brick and sandstone-toned finishes intended to establish a stronger relationship with St Francis Xavier Church. The Church itself will be conserved and upgraded for its continued use, while the former school building will be adaptively reused as part of the co-living component.

<img alt="Lavendar Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d4418ad-90aa-4d49-af93-c80b140aea80" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.09.47%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Kv4gzbsACaGvZSRuaqcfGC54jEJRXIDJ" />

&nbsp;

The proposal adds to an increasingly concentrated pipeline of residential development around Blue Street, MacKenzie Street and Lavender Bay.

Just west of the site, Central Element lodged plans earlier this year for one of the most significant residential developments proposed in Lavender Bay in recent years.

Central Element's SJB-designed scheme at 64-66 Lavender Street and 3-7 Middlemiss Street would deliver 163 apartments across two towers rising 23 and 32 storeys, replacing five existing apartment buildings containing 32 homes. The project also forms part of the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-central-element-reveals-lavender-bay-apartment-plans?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">First look: Central Element reveals Lavender Bay apartment plans</a>

Immediately around North Sy​dney Station, another two significant proposals have emerged at 5 and 15 Blue Street.

Zurich Australian Insurance Properties is seeking to adaptively reuse its longstanding commercial building at 5 Blue Street, directly above North Sydney Station, rather than demolishing the structure.

Its SSDA proposes converting the building into a 14-storey mixed-use development with 62 apartments and 86 co-living rooms, together with ground-floor retail and a major refurbishment of Blue Street Plaza. The application is currently at the Response to Submissions stage.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-zurich-targets-north-sydney-office-conversion-with-148-unit-proposal-above-metro-station">First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station</a>

&nbsp;

First look: Vinnies files for 20-storey Lavender Bay apartment tower as North Sydney housing pocket heats up

When the opportunity arose for South Australian developer Palumbo to return to Kent Town, where it had previously delivered East Park Apartments and the East 
Rundle Apartments, it wasn't one the longstanding developer-builder was going to pass up.

The decision was quickly vindicated, with more than 30 apartments sold within the first month of launching <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/royal-apartments-kent-town-2-8-north-terrace-kent-town-sa-5067">Royal Apartments</a> to the market.

The 206-apartment development, which will bring significant new supply to Adelaide's tightly held eastern city fringe, also gives <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/palumbo">Palumbo</a> the opportunity to bring new life to one of Kent Town's most recognisable watering holes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376073]

Royal Apartments incorporates the historic Royal Hotel, a venue Palumbo Managing Director Daniel Palumbo said has a longstanding connection with the local community.

"Everyone in the area has history with the Royal Hotel," Palumbo told Apartments.com.au.

"It was quite an active pub and social gathering place for locals. We want to bring it back to its former glory."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376072]

The wider development will comprise two residential towers alongside the restored hotel, sitting on North Terrace opposite the Adelaide Park Lands.

For Palumbo, the project also marks a return to familiar territory.

The developer completed East Park Apartments next door more than a decade ago and jumped at the opportunity to develop in Kent Town again when the Royal Hotel site became available.

"The opportunity emerged, and we moved to secure the site," Palumbo said.

"We were approached by the previous landowner, who said they had extensive commitments in Sydney and weren't in a position to deliver the project.

"We took over the site and within six months recut the design scheme to be more in keeping with the type of development we want to bring to Adelaide.

"Now we're on the market and those changes have really resonated with local buyers."

That has translated into a strong start to sales, with 33 apartments transacting in the project's first 35 days.

Palumbo said the early purchaser profile had been consistent with the group's traditional focus on owner-occupiers rather than investor-led apartment stock.

"Local owner-occupiers have always been our market," he said.

"There are always some investors, but we've never developed what would be called traditional development stock. Owner-occupiers are very much our market."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376068]

The buyer mix has been diverse so far, with downsizers and younger professionals both accounting for a significant portion of early sales.

South Australia's current stamp duty settings, which allow&nbsp;eligible homeowners in South Australia aged 60 savings of up to $103,830 on stamp duty when they downsize to a new property valued at up to $2 million,&nbsp;have helped encourage downsizer activity, while younger buyers in their late 20s and early 30s have been attracted to the opportunity to live immediately outside the CBD while still being able to walk into the city.



Location has been a major part of the proposition for both buyer cohorts.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376075]

Royal Apartments sits on North Terrace directly opposite the Adelaide Park Lands, with residents able to walk through the parklands toward the East End, Rundle Street and Rundle Mall.

Apartments have been positioned to capture views across the parklands, Adelaide skyline, Botanic Gardens and Adelaide Hills.

Palumbo believes the scarcity of developable land along this section of the Park Lands makes the site particularly difficult to replicate.

"There's very few allotments on that side that can be developed," he said.

"If this location was in New York and you were sitting on Central Park, you'd be talking about a $60 million apartments."

Royal Apartments will offer a broad mix of residences, ranging from one-bedroom apartments through to four-bedroom sub-penthouses and penthouses.

Current listings include one-bedroom apartments from $680,000, while larger three and four-bedroom residences are priced around $2.5 million.

Residents will have access to a swimming pool, gym, barbecue and recreation areas, residents' lounge and dining space, and a communal deck.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376067]

The apartments will feature generous balconies, while secure parking, bicycle storage and storage cages will also be provided.

A porte-cochère-style arrival and drop-off area has also resonated with buyers, particularly those attracted to being able to walk into the CBD during the day while retaining secure vehicle access at home.

Palumbo is acting as developer, architect and builder on Royal Apartments, continuing the vertically integrated model it has used across its South Australian portfolio.

The group was also behind the $150 million Sofitel Adelaide, the 251-room five-star hotel and residential tower which opened in 2021.

Palumbo said Royal's launch had come at an interesting time for the broader Adelaide apartment market.

Buyer confidence had initially been impacted by uncertainty surrounding the Federal Budget and broader economic conditions, but Palumbo believes sentiment is beginning to improve against a backdrop of significant investment flowing into South Australia.

He pointed to increased activity across defence and resources, including Olympic Dam, as potential long-term drivers of the state's economy and housing market.

"Money is starting to flow into Adeliade, significant amounts as Adelaide bucks the trend of the rest of the country.," Palumbo said.

"There's a lot of activity in the economy over the next decade. I think more investment will come into this market."

Early works on Royal Apartments are expected to commence this year, with major construction activity and cranes anticipated on site from early next year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=6109]

Palumbo's return to Kent Town strikes early chord with buyers

Go-to builder-developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/graya">GRAYA</a> is continuing to bulk out its already impressive and diverse apartment portfolio across South East Queensland. Their latest milestone is securing development approval for Silk, its boutique riverfront apartment development in St Lucia.

The approval clears&nbsp;the way for the team to begin construction planning for the 22-residence project.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/silk-st-lucia-16-18-sandford-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">Silk</a> will rise 15 levels from an 810 sqm site at 16-18 Sandford Street, occupying a prominent bend of the Brisbane River with a prized northern aspect across Orleigh Park toward the Brisbane CBD.

The approved scheme will comprise 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences, continuing GRAYA's move into larger-format apartment developments targeting Brisbane's prestige owner-occupier market.

The project has been designed around the site's broad river frontage and dual-direction views, with GRAYA prioritising larger residences, privacy and outlook over apartment yield.

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa5c2349-f96c-4914-a812-1f2cd6827af8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=WY0vEU_7vYjeRJKQHiCwFdMxu8PvFh52" />

GRAYA Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Rob Gray said the project had been shaped around local homeowners wanting to remain in St Lucia without maintaining a traditional family home.

"St Lucia is one of those suburbs people do not want to leave," Gray said.

"They know the river, the trees, UQ, the golf course, Toowong and Indooroopilly, and that familiarity is hard to replace.

"True riverfront opportunities here are exceptionally scarce. What we have designed at Silk is a way to stay in the suburb people love, with the scale and privacy of a private home and far less to maintain.

"This is not typical apartment product. It is a proper home on the river, and that is exactly what this market has been missing."

The approval comes as new apartment development continues to increase across the St Lucia and neighbouring Toowong corridor, although direct riverfront sites remain considerably more tightly held.

GRAYA Co-founder and Managing Director Andrew Gray said securing the approval had removed a significant element of development risk from Silk.

"Genuine riverfront sites of this quality in St Lucia are not something that comes up regularly," Gray said.

"The approval removes a substantial layer of execution risk, and the location underwrites demand in a way very few inner-city sites can.

"The fundamentals here are as strong as anything we have assessed in Brisbane."

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d0f3d734-65e1-48e8-8ed3-2e0715ffcdd9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sOLSs_jdHkXLWbBKzRyayf5BfTb2vPsD" />

Silk will see GRAYA return to a stretch of the Brisbane River where it already has recent construction experience. The vertically integrated group recently completed ARC in neighbouring Toowong as builder for developer Spyre, delivering the riverfront project on a constrained site.

GRAYA will take a different role at Silk, controlling the project from design and development through construction and aftercare under its vertically integrated model.

The development will include a gym and resident leisure areas at ground level, integrated with the river's edge.

Silk joins a growing pipeline for GRAYA across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which includes Enclave, The Gallery, Coral and Ripple.

The developer-builder has also recently lodged plans for its largest project to date, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-silo-19-chester-street-newstead-qld-4006">The Silo</a>, a proposed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/graya-buys-frasers-newstead-site-plans-the-silo-between-james-street-and-gasworks-precincts">$700 million mixed-use development</a> in Brisbane's James Street precinct.

Silk is expected to predominantly target local owner-occupiers and prestige buyers seeking a permanent riverfront home in Brisbane's inner west.

Registrations of interest are now open, with further details on the project and construction program to be released as it progresses.

<hr />
<h2>SILK PROJECT FACTS</h2>

Developer-builder: GRAYA

Project: Silk

Location: 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia

Apartments: 22

Built form: 15 levels

Site: 810 sqm riverfront holding

Mix: 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences

Status: Development approved

Next step: Construction planning underway

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152168]

GRAYA greenlit for riverfront St Lucia apartment development, Silk

Melbourne Airport

<html><body>
....in the form of the <a href="http://www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au/home" target="_blank">Regional Rail Link</a>.

<h2>What is the RRL and how is it relevant?</h2>

The Regional Rail Link (RRL) project is a Kevin '07 stimulus project that aims to separate V/Line-regional traffic heading to Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo from metro traffic by building one new track pair all the way from Southern Cross station to Tarneit via Footscray, Sunshine and Deer Park.

When built, all V/Line traffic heading to Geelong, Ballarat or Bendigo will use this track enabling faster regional journeys and just as important: freeing up capacity on the Werribee and Sydenham metro lines so frequencies can be increased on these lines.

In short RRL is a big shot in the arm for rail capacity in the western suburbs.

<h2>Current V/Line operations - without the RRL</h2>

The following is a snapshot of what the current timetables on the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo lines between 5 and 6pm on a weekday look like - it's to be expected that the same or very similar levels of service will be using the RRL once it's opened for business.

<ul>
<li>Geelong - 5 trains per hour (TPH): 4:57pm, 5:08pm, 5:21pm, 5:32pm, 5:54pm</li>
	<li>Ballarat - 4 TPH 5:07pm, 5:22pm, 5:52pm, 6:02pm</li>
	<li>Bendigo - 3 TPH 4:57pm 5:28pm 5:48pm</li>
</ul>
So by the time the RRL opens, out of a potential 24-30 train paths (a train every 2.5 minutes or 2 minutes hurtling down the RRL tracks), only 12 will be used (5 + 4 + 3)

In summary the track will only have up to 50% of its capacity used if you assume the same or similar timetable will be used upon opening.

Fast forward three decades post RRL completion and for argument's sake lets say Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo double in population and the service level also doubles notwithstanding the option of also extending train lengths for more capacity:

<ul>
<li>Geelong 10 TPH</li>
	<li>Ballarat 5-6 TPH*</li>
	<li>Bendigo 5-6 TPH**</li>
</ul>
*By then, Melton trains won't be using the RRL tracks in the city as they'll have been electrified, and potentially even Bacchus Marsh.

**An extra Kyneton terminating train.

Assumption total: 20-22 trains per hour will be using the Regional Rail Link tracks between Southern Cross and Sunshine in three decades.

<h2>The missing link</h2>

The Bracks/Brumby governments identified the Albion corridor as their preferred corridor to link Tullamarine with the city and this has <a href="/news/questions-still-remain-on-the-melbourne-airport-rail-link-study">recently been confirmed</a> by Baillieu/Napthine government.

The recent study has shown that the favoured option is to have new track built alongside the existing freight lines, where the new track would leave the Sydenham/Bendigo corridor near Albion Station and then travel alongside the existing dual gauge freight lines.

A new bridge over the Maribyrnong River would be required, and the extra track would run under Keilor Park Drive and the Calder Freeway, at which point the line would ramp up onto an elevated section to traverse the Western Ring Road and Airport Drive and utilise the wide corridor that exists there and then come back down to earth on the southern boundary of Melbourne Airport's land at Sharps Road.

It's anticipated the line would travel through the airport land and would tunnel underground 1km before the Tullamarine Airport terminal station.

The Airport's own master plan appears to take into account an underground station, however it is curious why this is so when an elevated structure would require less capital expenditure and the airport is similarly planning to build a giant elevated road network to service the new parking facilities opposite the new Terminal 4.

<h2>Who should operate the "Tullamarine link"?</h2>

V/Line. Upgrading the signalling on the new Sunshine-Southern Cross RRL track would allow more frequent trains and why bother throwing up catenary above the RRL between the City and Sunshine (or add another branch line to the Sydenham Metro tracks) when V/Line is perfectly capable of operating the service at higher speeds than Metro?

No point adding yet another class of rail vehicle to the network to intermix with existing Metro Trains - and the Melbourne Airport rail Link (MARL) study said itself the opportunity for express services will be limited if the Airport Line mixed with Sydenham (or Craigieburn) services.

V/Line's fleet of Dandenong-built Vlocity class trains would fit the bill perfectly because V/Line trains are built for extra luggage (which airport services require).

<h2>What about V/Line-Regional operating patterns?</h2>

Well as I stated earlier, when the RRL goes live, only half the capacity will be used from day 1.

If you assume a 15 minute service from Southern Cross to the airport, that would bring the earlier total of 12 Geelong/Bendigo/Ballarat services up to 16.

If you fast forward 30 years to the regional service projections I came up with earlier, of the 20-22 Geelong/Bendigo/Ballarat trains per hour using the City-Sunshine section of the RRL plus 4-6 TPH going to the airport we're looking at finally reaching the absolute capacity.

It appears that the RRL tracks out the back of Werribee will be used for stopping trains to service the new suburban subdivisions - let's hope this is only temporary and the corridor is quadruplicated sooner than later so the Werribee Metro line itself can operate the services and the RRL track gets back to actually separating Metropolitan and Regional services.

This peak capacity scenario would be made easier by eliminating all V/Line stops at Footscray and instead expanding Sunshine station and making it the only non-city stop in the metro area for regional services, because....

<h2>You hit two birds with one stone</h2>

Having all regional services (Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat) stop at Sunshine, as well as having all City - Airport services stop at Sunshine allows connectivity for the inner-city, North Eastern and South Eastern quadrants of the metro area (connecting at Southern Cross or Sunshine via Melbourne Metro tunnel) a quick non-road based transport solution to Tullamarine as well as offering a one change service for people travelling from the regional cities to Tullamarine.

Wait times at Sunshine would be minimal if a 15 minute, or even better a 10 minute frequency of service ran for City-Airport - Assuming a 5-6 TPH frequency for Geelong, the average wait time would be 5 minutes, Ballarat and Bendigo in the order of 7 minutes would be the average wait time.

<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/026.JPG" rel="gallery-all" title="A simple safety message at the end of runway 34 at Tullamarine; the simple message for the State Government is maximise the use of new rail capacity"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/026.JPG?itok=fBUWiCVn" title="A simple safety message at the end of runway 34 at Tullamarine; the simple message for the State Government is maximise the use of new rail capacity"></a>

<figcaption>A simple safety message at the end of runway 34 at Tullamarine; the simple message for the State Government is maximise the use of new rail capacity</figcaption></figure>A potential timetable departing Southern Cross could look like this:

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%">
<thead><tr>
<th scope="col">Destination</th>
			<th scope="col">Southern Cross</th>
			<th scope="col">Sunshine</th>
			<th scope="col">Airport</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Airport</td>
			<td>17:00</td>
			<td>17:11</td>
			<td>17:20</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geelong</td>
			<td>17:03</td>
			<td>17:14</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ballarat</td>
			<td>17:08</td>
			<td>17:19</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bendigo</td>
			<td>17:12</td>
			<td>17:23</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Airport</td>
			<td>17:15</td>
			<td>17:26</td>
			<td>17:35</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geelong</td>
			<td>17:20</td>
			<td>17:31</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ballarat</td>
			<td>17:25</td>
			<td>17:36</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Airport</td>
			<td>17:30</td>
			<td>17:41</td>
			<td>17:50</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bendigo</td>
			<td>17:32</td>
			<td>17:43</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geelong</td>
			<td>17:36</td>
			<td>17:47</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ballarat</td>
			<td>17:40</td>
			<td>17:51</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Airport</td>
			<td>17:45</td>
			<td>17:56</td>
			<td>18:05</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bendigo</td>
			<td>17:48</td>
			<td>17:59</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Geelong</td>
			<td>17:50</td>
			<td>18:01</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ballarat</td>
			<td>17:55</td>
			<td>18:06</td>
			<td> </td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Airport</td>
			<td>18:00</td>
			<td>18:11</td>
			<td>18:20</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
City to Airport rail services must be fast and express to make the case for attracting patronage.

The MARL study claimed there would be limited opportunities for express City-Airport services if Metro (and the Metro fleet) were to operate the services and the same South-East connectivity can be achieved by passengers on the Pakenham/Cranbourne lines changing trains at Sunshine using the V/Line &amp; RRL track option.

The Baillieu/Napthine Government's MARL study also identified the possibility of creating a new MYKI zone for this purpose and we, the travelling public, should make it absolutely clear that this should be a modest increase, not just another revenue stream for the entity that owns the lease over Tullamarine airport.
</body></html>

Alastair Taylor

Half of the Melbourne Airport Rail Link is currently under construction

<html><body>
The Ballieu/Napthine government's Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport Rail Link study has been released, along with the <a href="/news/the-ballieu-napthine-governments-rowville-rail-study-ignored-the-elephant-in-the-room" target="_blank">Rowville</a> and Doncaster studies, this past week.

Direct links to the Public Transport Victoria hosted documents for the MARL - Melbourne Airport Rail Link study are below:

<ul>
<li><a href="http://corp.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Melbourne-Airport/Melbourne-Airport-Rail-Link-Study-Overview.pdf" target="_blank">Study overview and findings</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://corp.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Melbourne-Airport/Melbourne-Airport-Rail-Link-Study-Executive-Summary.pdf" target="_blank">Executive summary</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://corp.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Melbourne-Airport/Melbourne-Airport-Rail-Link-Study-Technical-Report.pdf" target="_blank">Full Technical report</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Key points</h2>

<ul>
<li>The study team spearheaded by Parsons Brinckerhoff have assumed the rail service following the Albion East base case will be an extension of services running through the Melbourne Metro tunnel. This has the effect of pushing the estimated travel time from Central Melbourne to Melbourne Airport out to 30 minutes.</li>
	<li>The study compared the Albion East base case (favoured and reserved by the Bracks/Brumby government) with multiple options which resulted in three primary candidates:
	<ul>
<li>a direct tunnel link from Footscray via Highpoint SC, the old Maribyrnong Defence site and Avondale Heights with a north westerly approach to the airport</li>
		<li>a direct link continuing on from the Flemington Racecourse line via Highpoint SC, Maribyrnong Defence Site and Avondale Heights with the same approach to the airport as the direct link from Footscray and the Albion East base case.</li>
		<li>and a branch off the Craigieburn line with a westerly approach to the airport</li>
	</ul>
</li>
	<li>only the Craigieburn line branch option provides a higher Net Present Value rank above the Albion East case case.</li>
	<li>a new MYKI fare zone would be created to charge a premium fare for airport access</li>
</ul>
<h2>Cutting through the gumpf</h2>

The direct link options - via Footscray and Flemington Racecourse - provide an opportunity to focus new urban development surrounding the stations along the routes (Highpoint SC, Maribyrnong and to a lesser extent Avondale Heights) but are essentially twice the estimated cost of either the Albion East or Craigieburn options. Let's simply rule these two options out based on cost alone - the Moonee Valley/Maribyrnong LGAs have a lot of scope to increase PT usage in their respective areas through better utilising road based PT: expanding tram lines and creating more permanent bus lanes.

The Craigieburn line option is estimated to cost around about the same price as an Albion East, but take a longer time for an end to end journey: not to mention services would be mixed with Craigieburn and Upfield services in the city loop (post Melbourne Metro tunnel opening) and throughout the whole line, thus limiting the ability for faster and more express airport services.

This brings us back to square one - the study by the Bracks/Brumby government a decade ago is essentially still valid and they were right to protect this corridor for a future Rail Link. It's what the study has focused on, in terms of operations, on the Albion East base case that needs picking apart.

<h2>Forget the rest, Albion East it is</h2>

The curious assumpton, or at least that's the impression I got from reading through the full report, study findings and executive summary, is that the Albion East route to Melbourne airport will become a 3rd branch of the Sunshine-Dandenong metro line which will be created when the Melbourne Metro tunnel is opened and the Melton line is electrified.

Point 3.4.1 on Page 24 of the full report states:

<blockquote>
"Regional Rail Link is a new rail line that separates regional trains from the metropolitan trains. This will provide dedicated tracks from Sunshine to Southern Cross for trains from Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat. The project will provide greater capacity for Melbourne rail services to cater for the residential growth that is occurring in the western growth areas of Melbourne.

This project is relevant to the Melbourne Airport Rail Link because it may present an opportunity to use these new rail lines for part of the alignment or increase capacity on the existing Metropolitan rail network to allow for MARL services. It also presents the opportunity for an airport service to connect at stations that are being upgraded as part of the Regional Rail Link."
</blockquote>

It goes on to say:

<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>A meeting was held on 19 June 2012 with key representatives from the Regional Rail Link Authority to discuss the current status of the project and the likely opportunities/constraints it may have for MARL. The following key points were summarised from the discussion that are of relevance to the AAS:</li>
	<li>there is potential to unlock latent demand at Platforms 1-7 at Souther Cross Station to accommodate new services, as V/Line locomotives are phased out of operation in the future</li>
	<li>The RRL design uncovered a range of constraints, including:
	<ul>
<li>limited reservation through Footscray for new tracks</li>
		<li>the need to widen bridge spans between Sunshine and Footscray</li>
		<li>the Sunshine Orchid (a threatened flora species) at Sunshine, resulting in changes being made to the design</li>
	</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

Then spread across pages 28 and page 29, there's this:

<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/tulla_study_pages28-29.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="From Pages 28 and 29 of the Final report"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-702px" src="http://urbanmelbourne.info/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_702px/public/pictures/article-images/tulla_study_pages28-29.jpg?itok=n4GrGlVV" title="From Pages 28 and 29 of the Final report"></a>

Can PTV please explain why using the Regional Rail Link tracks are not considered suitable in the strategic rail operations plan?

Further questions that need to be asked:

<ol>
<li>Above and beyond the current 10-12 trains per hour (TPH) that currently operate to Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, how many more services are likely to operate once the new Regional Rail Link (RRL) tracks are operational?</li>
	<li>Rather than provide extra frequencies on the regional lines (in particular Geelong), has there been any study into lengthening key platforms on lines to allow longer trains and more premium express services to operate to regional centres?</li>
	<li>When will the RRL tracks between Sunshine and Southern Cross have their signalling system upgraded to cater for 2 minute headways/30TPH?</li>
	<li>How is PTV going to manage Bendigo line conflicts now that metropolitan services have been extended to Sunbury?</li>
	<li>Presumably, the Melton electrification project will require a grade separated junction just beyond Sunshine station: was this factored into the Regional Rail Link's Anderson Road grade separation design?</li>
	<li>When will the new Tarneit corridor be expanded and connected to Werribee (forming a triangular junction in West Werribee) so this linecurrently under construction becomes purely a regional link to Geelong with Wyndham Vale and any station built along this corridor being serviced by Metro?</li>
</ol>
In <a href="/news/half-of-the-melbourne-airport-rail-link-is-currently-under-construction">part two of this series</a>, I'll take a look at how the extra capacity on the new Regional Rail Link tracks could be used with V/Line operating services between Southern Cross and Tullamarine.
</body></html>

Melbourne Airport

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Melbourne Airport

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News