Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

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

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

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

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

Melbourne Metro Rail

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On Monday the New South Wales Government <a href="http://sydneymetro.info/home/news_feed/sydney-metro-accelerates-through-cbd-stations-confirmed-and-first-borer-to-arrive-in-2018">kicked off</a> the formal planning process for the second stage of the Sydney Metro project. It comes as the heavy work for the first phase - rebranded as Sydney Metro Northwest a few months ago - is nearing completion with the <a href="http://nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au/TBM-Tracker">TBM tracker map</a> for the project showing two of the four TBMs in use on the project only having approximately 1-1.5km until they complete their run.

What started as a project to bring rail services to one of Sydney's largest rail service black-spots has morphed into a very long metro line that will eventually run from Sydney's North West through North Sydney and the CBD and out to the South West.

<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/construction-activities-nov-2013-72dpi_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Construction timeframes for the Sydney Metro North West phase"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="314" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/construction-activities-nov-2013-72dpi_2.jpg?itok=zbqIkDl4" title="Construction timeframes for the Sydney Metro North West phase" width="580"></a>

<figcaption><a href="http://nwrail.transport.nsw.gov.au/construction/construction-overview">Construction timeframes</a> for the Sydney Metro North West phase</figcaption></figure>The 'Northwest' section which is under construction, when open, will see passengers needing to change to existing services at Chatswood to continue journeys toward central Sydney.

This point along with the "back to the future" moment of the new metro line not running double-decker trains which are synonymous with Sydney has generated a lot of discussion &amp; dabate.

For the most part the debate around the type of trains to be used on the new line has been derailed (pun intended) and the launch of the formal planning process has neutered concerns over long term viability of moving more people over/under Port Jackson in trains.

While the second City and Southwest phase of Sydney Metro is a natural extension of the first phase, the key lesson for us south of the Murray is to ensure that after Melbourne Metro, we don't play the "balance" card and then go on a publicly-funded road building boondoggle.

The heavy and expensive equipment to be procured for Melbourne metro like Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), not to mention the vast knowledge people who are working on this project are gaining, should not be wasted and put on the backburner. We should be following Sydney Metro's lead and kicking off the formal planning process for our next rail project during the construction phase of Melbourne Metro.

<h2>Enter Infrastructure Victoria and Plan Melbourne</h2>

Two sizeable pieces of a large strategic planning jigsaw puzzle seem to have fallen into place.

A refresh of Plan Melbourne has been launched which seeks to add components such as affordable housing mechanisms, Melbourne as a poly-centric city and climate change preparedness to the original plan and Infrastructure Victoria has been born and will be tasked on providing advice to Spring Street on the State's infrastructure needs and responses.

Fishermans Bend's structure plan will be changing and Spring Street recently announced that the <a href="http://australianeducationcity.com/">Australian Education City</a> consortium was the preferred bidder to develop a large site in East Werribee.

Melbourne's sole advantage over all other big Australian cities is land, and not just the productive agricultural land that the sprawl-belt is constantly infringing upon.

Fishermans Bend alone will make Sydney's Barangaroo and Perth's Elizabeth Quay look decidedly miniscule in comparison owing to the sheer amount of land that could be redeveloped along the lower Yarra.

There's decades worth of redevelopment potential but before we get bogged down on what kind of urban form Fishermans Bend should take we must first ensure the right type of Public Transport is selected and put in place early. Likewise we must ensure it provides maximum connectivity from both the east and west of the metropolitan area.

I am of course referring to the Fishermans Bend line that was present on the <a href="/news">PTV's heavy rail plan</a>, released soon after Denis Napthine took over the Premiership during the last Government. This is the kind of project we should expect to see near the very top of Infrastructure Victoria's initial 30 year infrastructure strategy and similarly in Spring Street's mandatory response.

The Australian Education City marketing material paints a grand picture of urbanism out west and the associated numbers - 80,000 to 100,000 people to eventually live in the new 'city' - is nothing to sneeze at either. Earlier reports in other media suggested that a rail station was to be a part of the project however this still remains uncertain and once again, given the immediacy of the redevelopment project, we should expect Infrastructure Victoria to pay attention to this part of the city.

And that leaves us with the East. Monash University-Mulgrave is a major employment precinct in its own right, very much a player in the drive to bring high quality jobs closer to where people live.

As the <a href="http://www.snamuts.com/melbourne">SNAMUTS map</a> shown below alludes to, the Springvale Road/Wellington Road area has two smart buses routes and possibly the most appalling thing on that map is that it highlights how there are not many other semi-decent public transport services that run at least every 20 minutes on week day off peaks.

The map shows that back in 2011 the smart bus routes in the area were seeing a higher degree of network stress than other parts of Melbourne Public Transport network. Do we need to see some out-of-the-box thinking for Public Transport in the area?

<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/6445304_orig.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Public Transport Network Stress. SNAMUTS"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="444" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/6445304_orig.png?itok=edEKo-CB" title="Melbourne Public Transport Network Stress. SNAMUTS" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Public Transport Network Stress. <a href="http://www.snamuts.com/melbourne">SNAMUTS</a></figcaption></figure>Plan Melbourne has that aspiration to make Melbourne more poly-centric, or more to the point, a "20 minute" city. There's one giant employment centre in Melbourne at present, it's the centre of the city where our current Publc Transport network excels in moving people in and out of it.

Monash University-Mulgrave is a major established employment node simply lacking in direct rail access and East Werribee could very well become an equivalent major employment mode for the west.

This emerging picture of a Melbourne with three major employment nodes centred around Universities dispersed equally in the metropolitan area - West, Central and East - is not all too dissimilar to the story of Sydney with its CBD/inner south (potential metro station near the University of Sydney) and Macquarie Park / North Ryde (Macquarie University and two other metro stations in the immediate vicinity).

When Spring Street creates the response to Infrastructure Victoria's initial 30 year strategy (which it is required to do under the act), the Melbourne Metro project will likely be kicking off its construction phase.

Given all of the above and after Infrastructure Victoria's advice has been provided, Spring Street should heed the lesson from the Sydney Metro project and keep the major rail project planning and construction cycle rolling so as we get even more mileage out of the knowledge created and the equipment procured for the Melbourne Metro project.
</body></html>

Alastair Taylor

Comment: Melbourne should heed the lesson of Sydney Metro

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The drip feed of information on the Melbourne Metro Rail project website continues, with a recent update featuring an <a href="https://mmrailproject.mysocialpinpoint.com/yoursay#/">interactive map</a> to be used for consultation purposes, along with <a href="http://yoursay.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/local-information">brochures</a> providing increasing detail about each station and portal precinct.

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the placement of a station on a rail line is how and where users will access the underground structures. The brochures now display proposed entrance locations for each station and they are summarised with my comments below. Each image can be expanded for a larger view.

<h2>Domain</h2>

<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/domain.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Domain Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="415" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/domain.png?itok=782IalzU" title="Domain Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Domain Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority</figcaption></figure>The brochure for <a href="http://yoursay.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/local-information#domain">Domain Station</a> appears to take the sensible approach in the location of proposed station entrances. We may love our major boulevards to walk down or look at, but when it comes to crossing them in traffic, the wait times are generally less than pleasant. Therefore the proposed locations, one on the eastern side of St Kilda Road for the Shrine and one on the western side of St Kilda Road for the local area, make sense.

The only question overhanging the station entrances in this diagram: will there in fact be two station entrances - one for each of the two island platforms recently built as part of the Domain Interchange upgrade - or some other design?

<h2>Flinders Street (CBD South)</h2>

<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/cbd_south.png" rel="gallery-all" title="CBD South Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="411" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/cbd_south.png?itok=J24dhUtR" title="CBD South Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>CBD South Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority</figcaption></figure>For <a href="http://yoursay.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/local-information#cbdsouth">Flinders Street</a>, the proposed entrance at Federation Square is welcome, likewise is an entrance from Collins Street. The location of the proposed Collins Street entrance seems to suggest it will use a portion of City Square, most likely impacting the on-and-off again <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/M9YK5wWsYDT2">water wall</a>.

At Federation Square the proposed station location appears to be adjacent to the underground section of the <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/LmmT2BPBag42">Melbourne Visitors Centre</a>.

The proposed entrance located in the middle of the Flinders Street/Flinders Lane/Elizabeth Street/Swanston Street block appears to be the existing entrance connecting to the main pedestrian subway. My question is, will there be a connection from the new underground platforms to the existing subway?

<h2>Melbourne Central (CBD North)</h2>

<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/cbd_north.png" rel="gallery-all" title="CBD North Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="406" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/cbd_north.png?itok=xEKjnNDr" title="CBD North Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>CBD North Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority</figcaption></figure><a href="/news/melbourne-metro-cbd-station-details-emerge">Last week it became evident</a> that an entrance was proposed for the north side of La Trobe Street. Now the brochure for Melbourne Central also depicts another northerly entrance in Franklin Street.

Given the City Baths are located on the northern side of Franklin Street, that it is a very sensitive building and the <s>Communist</s> Brutalist Blocks of RMIT provide little room on the southern side's footpath, the placement of the proposed station appears to be in the median of Franklin Street.

Might we see the closure of Franklin Street, <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/bcXR9RLvWpy">or at least the Swanston Street end</a>, turned into a plaza with the station entrance as the centrepiece? The mind boggles with wider urban design opportunities if the half-closure route was taken with this station entrance.

<h2>Parkville</h2>

<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/parkville.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Parkville Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="412" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/parkville.png?itok=N92DcgH4" title="Parkville Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Parkville Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority</figcaption></figure>The broad location of proposed station entrances at <a href="/new-apartments/parkville-vic-3052">Parkville</a> appear to provide sufficient coverage in the area. One of the first comments on the interactive map raised the lack of an entrance on the north west corner of the Grattan Street/Royal Parade intersection, where the Royal Melbourne Hospital is located, which would serve the Women's, RMH, University High School WEHI.

The proposed entrance on the south western corner of the intersection where the VCCC is should be set in stone, as it is on the same side of Grattan Street for people who may wish to connect with the Flemington Road trams (Flemington Road tram super-stop is on the south side of Grattan Street in the Flemington Road median).

If there were any slack in the overall project budget, I would allocate more to this station: delete the entrance on the north east corner of the intersection and revert to the previous concepts, which showed a large island platform in the middle of Royal Parade for a tram-train interchange. This would be a compromise solution for lack of an entrance on the RMH block (people bound for the Hospital block would not have to cross an entire road, only half of one), but enhance the tram-train connection opportunities.

Having an underground corridor all the way under Grattan Street so that entrances to the station concourse could be placed directly on the Flemington Road tram stops would also be a nice-to-have, however the proposed entrance on the VCCC block effectively does this job, albeit with a half-boulevard crossing at Flemington Road.

<h2>Arden</h2>

<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/arden.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Arden Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="401" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden.png?itok=4AEzc-JB" title="Arden Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Arden Station. Image Melbourne Metro Rail Authority</figcaption></figure><a href="/new-apartments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">Arden</a> is problematic. On every concept made public over the years, it was clear from the start Arden would be isolated, having no meaningful connections to other lines or modes in the area; the map above really brings this message home.

The site which this station resides on currently sees various industrial uses. The angle and placement of the "potential" station entrances seems to allude that a fraction of the current titles in the area would be acquired by the authority and rezoning could then enable redevelopment to occur on adjacent sites.

There is likely going to be a need for very intensive redevelopment in this area, in order to get the benefits side up against the costs in a cost-benefit analysis. All eyes are on City of Melbourne to see what they do with their Arden-Macaulay structure plan (<a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/BuildingandPlanning/FutureGrowth/StructurePlans/ArdenMacaulay/Pages/ArdenMacaulayStructurePlan.aspx">amendment C190</a>).

One thing to be wary about in terms of redeveloping the industrial land either side of the station location is Boral's <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/f4YXHsXRC6y">Melbourne Cement Plant</a>, as it is located to the south of the proposed station site.

Cement is a key ingredient for any urban development project and of course an orderly winding down of the site (as property prices rise after Arden station is complete) could occur over time. However, it would be interesting to see the wider economic and environmental impacts of this key cog in the urban development supply chain moving out of the area, if it ever does.

One logistical benefit for the project would be if Boral were to be picked as the cement supplier for the project; pre-cast cement and other cement products would not have to travel very far at all, thereby minimising overall energy intensity during the construction phase of the project.

Over to you. Be sure to add your comments to the interactive map on the <a href="https://mmrailproject.mysocialpinpoint.com/yoursay#/">project website</a>.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/CtsKwfqvTD92">Google Earth</a>
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Melbourne Metro Rail stations: more detail released & comment

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More details of the Melbourne Metro project have been drip-fed out of the Victorian Government this week.

Yesterday, the Minister for Public Transport announced the scope of properties which will need to be acquired as part of the Melbourne Metro project: the total quote sits at 44 buildings with 94 individual titles.

An apartment building in the CBD containing 49 apartments will be acquired along with houses located near the tunnel portals in South Kensington and South Yarra. A further 31 titles which have commercial properties on them are set to be acquired.

This morning, Jacinta Allan provided a clearer picture on the construction method for the CBD stations. "The heart of Melbourne will keep moving while the heart of our transport system is transformed below it" the Public Transport Minister said.

It appears that a relatively straightforward construction technique (straightfoward elsewhere in the world, new to us in Melbourne) will be used. Some surface properties will be acquired in order for crews to access the underbelly of the city and then excavate and construct the station infrastructure under the street.

One of the Premier's tweets illustrates the construction method:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
The heart of Melbourne will keep moving while the heart of our transport system is transformed below it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/springst?src=hash">#springst</a> <a href="https://t.co/UEUDdQelKD">https://t.co/UEUDdQelKD</a>
— Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/656601505814843392">October 20, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><h2>377-391 Swanston Street: dead in the water?</h2>

Back in May <a href="/news/212-222-la-trobe-street-a-story-of-chocolates-and-boiled-lollies">we reported on the history</a> of the <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">212-222 La Trobe Street</a> site which was at the time being spruiked with a permit by Savills. This site in the video tweeted by the Premier appears that it will only be used during construction.

The video seems to suggest that the surface buildings for the CBD North Station will be on the 377-391 Swanston Street site.

<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/image157_0_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Left: tower approved on 371-391 Swanston Street. Right: Aurora Melbourne Central"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="401" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image157_0_0.jpg?itok=ijPu9uVp" title="Left: tower approved on 371-391 Swanston Street. Right: Aurora Melbourne Central" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Left: tower approved on 371-391 Swanston Street. Right: Aurora looks set to be CBD North's neighbour</figcaption></figure>Furthermore, judging by the now public domain video, Scape Melbourne's approved project on the <a href="/buildings/scape-melbourne-393-swanston-street-melbourne">393 Swanston Street</a> site will not be directly impacted during the construction of the station underbelly nor be taken up by the surface buildings.

The video also depicts the apartment building at 200 La Trobe Street disappearing from the skyline as well.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1445383274479!6m8!1m7!1s7SEfpNWtcXGRsJLD2aJQgQ!2m2!1d-37.80969507743876!2d144.9632333141825!3f349.4272320694685!4f12.776723147160553!5f0.4000000000000002" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

Next door to 212-222 La Trobe Street, the Aurora Melbourne Central tower's site (224-252 La Trobe Street) is being prepared, with the on-site multi-level car park currently being demolished. See our related <a href="/news">forum thread</a> for pictures of the site preparation.

Aurora Melbourne Central's official construction launch was this morning.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
At the Aurora Melbourne Central groundbreaking ceremony <a href="https://twitter.com/UrbanMelbourne">@UrbanMelbourne</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ProbuildAust">@ProbuildAust</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/elenberg_fraser">@elenberg_fraser</a> <a href="https://t.co/pCqd3OgoFD">pic.twitter.com/pCqd3OgoFD</a>
— Laurence Dragomir (@dragomeister) <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/dragomeister/status/656619841474854912">October 20, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Melbourne Metro CBD station details emerge

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On September 22, the Victorian Government announced a period of consultation on the impacts of the Melbourne Metro project had begun.

21,000 letters were reportedly sent to residents and businesses along the alignment of the proposed new rail tunnel. The letters invited locals to go to an information session and find out where the tunnel will go, how it will be built and the planning process that will be undertaken.

The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, stated at the time "this consultation process is about starting open, honest and respect conversations with people who may be affected by this critical project" and now the authority has quietly added new maps to its website.

<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/mm-generic-map-sept-2015-02.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Subtle changes to the main graphics. Source www.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mm-generic-map-sept-2015-02.jpg?itok=cI5jgSOb" title="Subtle changes to the main graphics. Source www.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Subtle changes to the main graphics. Source www.mmrailproject.vic.gov.au</figcaption></figure>The primary graphic used on the site (pictured above) has had some subtle changes, however it is the addition of a <a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/28604/MM-Map-Indicative-Alignment-20150926.pdf">new satellite map</a> of the indicative alignment which has since been added to the <a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/planning">project's site</a>.

While the map is clearly marked "indicative alignment only", the file is date-stamped September 26 and is high resolution with a large amount of detail, largely answering questions about the "where".

Marcus Wong has a <a href="http://wongm.com/2015/05/melbourne-metro-details-finally-revealed/">great post on his blog</a> looking over all the documents which had made their way into the public domain up until May of this year.

The new map does not show station entrances, but it does make the positioning of stations quite clear, albeit with the "indicative" caveat.

When you compare some of the old renders available on <a href="http://wongm.com/2015/05/melbourne-metro-details-finally-revealed/">Marcus Wong's blog</a> with the new map, the two most significant things that appear to have changed are the position of Arden and Parkville stations.

The 2012 concept renders (which Marcus originally obtained from the Public Transport Victoria site) appears to center the Parkville Station directly underneath the Royal Parade and Grattan Street intersection. The new map shows the station to be located east of Royal Parade, in front of the University of Melbourne's medicine building and the relatively new Doherty Institute building.

My initial thought on Parkville's position was hoping the final design for Parkville Station's surface buildings include an entrance on the western side of Royal Parade, to allow people using/connecting with Flemington Road trams a more convenient access option to the station (without having to use the pedestrian crossings on Royal Parade).

There were no concept renders depicting what Arden Station would look like underground (and therefore allow you to make a safe assumption about where the station would be located underground, like you can with the old Parkville concept drawings), however the <a href="http://raildocs.wongm.com/melbourne-metro-rail-tunnel/arden-overview-DOC-11-332332-.jpg">old Arden concept renders</a> did depict the station's surface buildings to be located where what looks to be at the end of Queensberry Street in North Melbourne.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1444660254078!6m8!1m7!1stWNofTc5Pp52D_u2zHfCVA!2m2!1d-37.80065308511496!2d144.9400899910399!3f133.32224978314775!4f-6.720242966694059!5f0.7820865974627469" style="border:0" width="100%"></iframe>

The new map shows the station located a touch further north of the existing end of Queensberry Street and now the station will sit underground, offset from the grid of streets, with the eastern end of the station right near Barwise Street as show above in Google Street view.

The guesswork for Arden's location is now largely solved. One bonus of this location for Arden Station: concrete to build the station will not have to travel very far; one of the city's major concrete factories is located <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/ssnBM1cGBSG2">right next door</a>.

<a href="http://mmrailproject.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/28604/MM-Map-Indicative-Alignment-20150926.pdf">View the new map</a> on the Melbourne Metro Rail project website.

Thanks to Ian Woodcock for the prompt!
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Melbourne Metro: new indicative alignment maps published

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The Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, has announced that South Yarra station will not receive extra underground platforms as part of the Melbourne Metro Rail (MMR) project owing to costs ranging from $700 million up to $970 million under differing scenarios.

The media release distributed on Friday morning cites a cost-benefit ratio of between 0.20 and 0.33 and thus deems the overall outcome as being "very poor". A ratio of less than 1 means net public benefits are lower than the amount paid to build the infrastructure.

The MMR tunnel is to run from South Kensington through Arden, Parkville, the CBD, Domain interchange and join the existing Caulfield group of lines to the south of South Yarra station and one option for an expanded South Yarra station was to locate the underground platforms 200 metres away which attracted a price tag of $700 million.

The Minister's media release further states that in the above scenario 100 properties would need to be removed in order for the station to be built.

Under another scenario, building underground platforms closer to the existing station, the price tag rises to just shy of a billion dollars and would have required the removal of 82 homes and half of the Jam Factory.

<h2>Comment</h2>

So there we have it: a price on expanding South Yarra station from 6 platforms to 8. In the most ideal scenario of locating the new platforms closer to the existing station it would cost upwards of $1 billion. Fair game, I wouldn't want to argue that price is justified either.

The focus on how passengers are going to change between lines now shifts further down the line to Caulfield, a station which hasn't rated much mention in discussion around the MMR project or the level-crossing removal program for the Dandenong line.

Assuming the current stopping pattern for all Pakenham / Cranbourne line trains will remain in place once the MMR project is complete - that is Malvern, Armadale, Toorak and Hawksburn won't see Pakenham/Cranbourne trains stop there - the focus for transfers with the Frankston line centres on Caulfield station.

The first concern for Caulfield, given it's future prominence being enhanced with the completion of the MMR project, is how well the station's ramps comply with accessible public transport standards. If memory serves correctly Caulfield has been highlighted as a concern for accessibility compliance in the past. Likewise the pedestrian subway located underneath the tracks immediately to the west of the station platforms has a train speed restriction.

Furthermore as anyone who frequently uses the Pakenham / Cranbourne Line will be aware of, as trains pull into and out of Caulfield station, the convoluted track layout which forms a complex junction between the Dandenong and Frankston corridors to the east of the station, coupled with curved platforms and an ageing pedestrian subway mandate that trains slow down at a greater distance from the station than what would otherwise be necessary if the rail infrastructure was streamlined.

All in all, despite the disappointment that South Yarra station will not be a full interchange between lines, the costs cited are a significant benchmark and are likely to be used in the years to come if and when new rail lines are proposed across dense inner city areas where roads are narrow and property acquisition requirements go through the roof.

In today's piece by Adam Carey in <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-underground-station-for-south-yarra-ruled-out-in-rail-tunnel-plans-20150514-gh1swk">The Age</a>, he notes that the 5 new stations are to be built with capacity increases in mind; each station will have 230 plus metre platforms which could fit 9 car trains in future (Melbourne trains currently run in 6 car configurations) and this is reported to be the primary reason why building two new platforms at South Yarra is uneconomical.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few in this case and after seeing the South Yarra station numbers it's time this was put to bed.

Expansion of our rail network - like the Clifton Hill-Fishermans Bend tunnel from the 2013 PTV heavy rail plan - is going to be prohibitively expensive if Government insists on total system inter-operability; not to mention we'd fail to take full advantage of the innovation that has been proven in cities around the world when it comes to building new transit lines.

Media release in full:

<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_92661" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/265377068/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>

Lead image credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Yarra_railway_station">Wikipedia</a>.
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Comment: South Yarra platforms for Melbourne Metro Rail ruled out

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<h2>Comment</h2>

Transport infrastructure and electoral cycles, they go hand in hand like beer and burgers, wine and cheese and the Labor and Liberal parties.  Well maybe not the last pairing but infrastructure projects are inherently the play-things of political parties when it comes to election time and with the news reports today on the ALP's shift in stance on the East-West link, the merry-go-round looks set to continue.

<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/labor-to-dump-eastwest-link-if-elected-even-if-contracts-are-signed-20140910-10f46z">According to a piece</a> by The Age's state political editor Josh Gordon and state political reporter Henrietta Cook, the ALP have received legal advice that if it forms Government after the State election in November, it will use a court case brought on by Moreland and Yarra councils to render the contract for the eastern section of the East-West link invalid.

The East-West Link and Melbourne Metro tunnel projects are a by-product of the Eddington report into East-West travel across Melbourne, with the previous Brumby government had prioritising the rail component higher than that of the freeway project.

With the change of Government, priorities were then suddenly turned around and what appears to be in response to the sustained backlash across the inner Melbourne community, we learnt at the last State Budget announcement the powers that be on Spring Street had altered the path and rebranded the rail component as the Melbourne Rail Link.

The cynic in me says the current Government are employing a scorched earth policy in the event they don't win the November election yet on the other hand it is completely understandable that the legitimate Government of the day wishes to lock in one of its headline projects before the care-taker period.

It's no secret I don't view commuter-based freeway projects with any high degree of favour simply because we already have an auto-centric city/economy and we have a great imbalance in our transport mix to start with.  If balance in our transport mix is the actual goal, then Governments need to discriminate in favour of public transport and non-motorised transport infrastructure options.

In saying that, proper independent studies into the economic and, more importantly, social return of grand transport projects need to be conducted and made public upon completion, not near the end of an electoral cycle.

And we as urbanists should prepare for and accept that building rail lines ad nauseam is not necessarily going to always be the best option for dragging us into true balance in the way we transport ourselves around the city.

Should this new ALP stance pay off and allow them to form Government post November 29th, one of the first commitments the ALP should make, other than carrying out their policy of stopping the East-West Link, is to do a data dump.

Releasing all pertinent information the Victorian Public Service has on the transport projects in the various departments and continually keeping the public informed with regularly updated and published infrastructure plans - not to mention the decision-making process taken along the way - will also be critical.

Not undertaking an open approach is only going to cast any new Government in the same dim light the current one is shrouded in; the transport infrastructure and electoral cycle merry-go-round is rusty, decrepit and in sore need of replacing.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.flickr.com/photos/hinkelstone/5166544084">flickr</a>, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Transport infrastructure and electoral cycles: isn't it time to end the madness?

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All signs, signals and repositories of wisdom appear to be pointing west. That is, the Napthine government is actively looking to reshape the way we think about central Melbourne by focusing mobility to and from the CBD on the west end.
With the budget announcement on Tuesday headlining with a realigned "Melbourne Rail Link", the focus for public transport is undeniably shifting west from Melbourne's central Swanston/Elizabeth Street axis.
Rather than run underneath Swanston Street connecting Flinders Street and Melbourne Central, the new rail link will cross the Yarra further to the west with new underground platforms at Southern Cross, new stations at Montague (Fishermans Bend), Domain and new underground platforms at South Yarra.
The previous iteration of the Melbourne Metro project, and championed by the opposition, was set to supercharge development throughout Melbourne's inner north thanks to the location of the Parkville and Arden Stations. However what's lost in the north is now apparently gained in Fishermans Bend.
A follow-up <a href="http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/9903-providing-public-transport-to-the-largest-urban-renewal-project-in-our-country-s-history">media release</a> was distributed by the Planning Minister on Tuesday afternoon:
<blockquote>
	"The largest urban renewal project in Australia must have a railway station,
	"Providing this vital heavy rail service to Fishermans Bend is a priority of the Coalition government and will meet the needs not only of this new community but also the expanding Southbank area.
	"Fisherman’s Bend is 10 times the size of Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct.
	"The precinct’s 240 hectares compares to the Hoddle grid at 160 hectares, Southbank's 100 hectares, and 140 hectares in Docklands. Melbourne's CBD now extends from Spring Street to Williamstown Road, encompassing the historical Hoddle grid, Southbank, Docklands and now Fishermans Bend.
	"The precinct expands Melbourne's capital city zone by more than 50 per cent and is expected to eventually accommodate around 25,000 jobs and in excess of 40,000 residents.
	"There will also be significant productivity benefits from more people locating close to jobs and services in the CBD, Southbank and Docklands,"
</blockquote>
One of my major worries for Fishermans Bend was the lack of proper public transport access; 80,000 residents and 40,000 workers would swamp the existing light rail services in the area. With the budget announcement yesterday, this goes a long way, but not all the way, to mooting this issue.
Historically when state governments have kicked off large-scale inner-city redevelopment projects, they've been adjacent to the CBD and therefore heavy rail mass transit infrastructure is already in place: Cain/Kirner got Southbank (Southgate) rolling, right across the river from Flinders Street; Kennett got Docklands rolling, adjacent to the now renamed Spencer Street.
On one hand, placing a station in Fishermans Bend makes sense in terms of providing high-quality transport infrastructure for a region that's likely to rival Southbank and Docklands over time. But on the other hand, Parkville cannot be ignored over the longer term.
Casting our minds back to when Denis Napthine took over the premiership, the <a href="/news">PTV heavy rail plan was released</a> outlining the agency's thinking regarding staging infrastructure development.
Critically the second cross-town rail tunnel from Clifton Hill to "Fishermans Bend" was - as per the published plans last year - going to connect with the original Melbourne Metro project at Parkville, then connect at Flagstaff and Southern Cross and continue onto Fishermans Bend. Is this still on the cards?
If I could request one thing from the state government before the election campaign heads into overdrive, it would be to ask the DTPLI / PTV to republish updated heavy rail network plans. Denis Napthine did it after assuming the premiership, he ought to do it again.
The Melbourne Rail Link announcement has shifted focus away from City North. Notwithstanding interim plans to boost existing public transport services in the Parkville area, the community, institutions, businesses and City of Melbourne (who only just recently sent a specific <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/BuildingandPlanning/Planning/planningschemeamendments/Pages/AmendmentC196.aspx" target="_blank">City North structure plan</a> to the Minister for approval) deserve to know what else may have changed.
Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalegillard/2493633297" target="_blank">flickr</a>, CC BY-SA 2.0
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The rise and fall of train stations

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It was six years ago when Sir Rod Eddington first unveiled the vision for East-West connectivity across Melbourne with two signature projects: a freeway connecting the Eastern Freeway with the Western Ring Road and a new rail line to form an inner-city "Crossrail" connecting the Watergadens (now Sunbury) and Pakenham-Cranbourne lines.
Shortly after the Baillieu government came to power, the Melbourne Metro project, as it has been known up until yesterday, had its scope reduced from a two-phase project to a single phase project connecting South Yarra with South Kensington.
Yesterday the Victorian state government committed to funding the now rebranded "Melbourne Rail Link" with an even smaller scope encompassing a tunnel from South Yarra to Southern Cross via Domain and a new station in Montague (Fishermans Bend).
Eddington's original vision was grand in its scale with a tunnel running from South Kensington into what is now known as the Arden-Macaulay precinct with a new station in the vicinity of Queensberry Street's western end and then the tunnel was to link Parkville's Melbourne University and medical precinct providing a much needed Public Transport capacity boost for the area.
From Melbourne University the line would have run under Swanston Street with connecting stations at Melbourne Central and Flinders Street and terminating as part of phase 1 at a new train station under the existing tram interchange at Domain.
Phase two of the project would have seen the line run the length of St. Kilda Road to the junction and then turn east under Dandenong Road to eventually join the Caulfield Group of lines - Pakenham, Cranbourne and Frankston - at Caulfield station.
When coupled with the Regional Rail Link doubling capacity between Footscray and Sunshine and Dandenong corridor improvements (which at the time was looking like a proper quadruplication project between Caulfield and Dandenong), the original Melbourne Metro project would have provided dedicated track space for a true "cross-rail" line stretching from Pakenham in the South East right through the city to Sunbury in the North West. Throw in dizzyingly high frequencies of service thanks to not interacting with other lines and we'd have a new rail link that could rival any metropolitan freeway's capacity to move large numbers of people across town.
It was bold, grand and pricey.
Upon assuming power, the Baillieu government instituted a review which resulted in what we can now call the the second iteration of this project. That was to use the general route and station placement of phase one of the Eddington report's original vision however the second phase was struck out and Melbourne Metro tunnel would turn eastwards immediately after Domain under Toorak road to connect the new line to the Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston corridor at South Yarra.
The review was touted as cheaper and could be built faster and would still bring all the benefits to City North that the original vision outlined such as supercharging development in <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/BuildingandPlanning/FutureGrowth/StructurePlans/ArdenMacaulay/Pages/Information.aspx" target="_blank">Arden-Macaulay</a> and boosting Public Transport services to Melbourne University and the global biotech and medical cluster that is Parkville.
One large gaping hole in the second iteration of the project was the lack of connectivity between lines at South Yarra. We were left to assume trains would stop at Hawksburn and then proceed underground into the tunnels skipping South Yarra. Baffling.
With the Budget announcement yesterday, this all changes. The new proposal is to have a 7.5 kilometre tunnel running from South Yarra (in this case with connection to existing lines with new underground platforms) to Domain and then the tunnel continues westward to the eastern extremity of what we know as Fishermans Bend: Montague. From Fishermans Bend the tunnel will head north, under the Yarra, to two new underground platforms at Southern Cross.
In conjunction with the Budget Announcement, PTV released a video outlining the operational changes.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CQ2IGZYTTNw" width="560"></iframe>
The video provides a great deal more insight into how the operation of the new system will work than what we have seen of previous iterations. In the original vision and second iteration of the Melbourne Metro project it was always the Pakenham/Cranbourne lines which would run through the new tunnel.
The new regime sees the Frankston line be through-routed to the Belgrave/Lilydale/Alamein lines and Pakenham/Cranbourne lines will through-route to Sunbury via existing track through Richmond and Flinders Street.
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Melbourne Metro project: a short history

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When the Wall came down, thousands cheered as the bulldozers moved in. Millions more tuned in on their televisions to watch this once in a lifetime event. The Wall had divided the city in two for years, leaving it to develop almost completely different cultures.

People would stop and try to peer through the cracks, trying to remember what a unified city was like. Finally, that time was coming to an end. The population would finally remember how the other half lived; long lost relatives would be reunited with much emotion.

It was the pressure of these long awaited scenarios that made the leader sweat profusely as he stepped forward towards the podium to make an announcement that everyone was so desperately wanting to hear.

"The Melbourne Metro is complete! The Great Wall of Swanston St can come down!"

Mass hysteria ensures, as the crowd cheer as loudly as they've never cheered before. Crying true tears of joy, they have their street back.

<img alt="" height="332" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/pictures/article-images/berlin-wall-coming-down.jpeg?itok=EgmTqJAw" width="405">

Denis Napthine's comparison of the Metro tunnel's planned Swanston St works to the Berlin Wall are nothing short of absurd, and ranks amongst the worst excuses to not upgrade public transport this state has seen. Hardly surprising, given he has only ever given tacit support of the project, through clenched teeth like a kid telling his mum how much he loves Brussels sprouts.

The Premier even tried telling us that Tony Abbott had softened his stance on funding the Metro, only to be immediately rebuffed and told he had no such intentions of funding any urban rail project, anywhere. "Roads are a sign of progress" Abbott reiterated, a view talked about in great detail in his conservative manifesto, Battlelines.

The 1950s rang, they want their infrastructure policy back.

Of course, this most backwards of philosophies has helped Napthine push his favourite barrow, the East West Link. Thinking that people would jump for joy at the announcement of another freeway, he wrongly assumed that the Melbourne Metro project would have disappeared into the background never to be spoken of again, just like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multifunction_Polis">Multifunction Polis</a> and the <a href="/news/grollo-tower-one-mans-vision-unrealised">Grollo Tower</a> before it.

But, shock horror, it turns out Abbott isn't the messiah, and his philosophy is completely outdated. Those pesky voters want a functional public transport system after all! With internal polling showing the current Spring Street Government in real trouble in November, an ever increasingly desperate Napthine resorted to relentlessly beating the Metro with a stick, in the hope that if he could scare enough people away from it.

It sounds like a plot from a bad stalker movie.

And so here we are: Swanston St will be the new Berlin Wall. The Metro was first mooted back in 2005, with the previous Labor Federal government setting aside funding for it in last year's May budget. So despite years of research and planning, Denis Napthine has suddenly come to the realisation that the route is all wrong, and that we need to start all over again. Six months out from an election, no less! Phew, lucky we have Denis to save us from impending disaster.

So is there method to this madness? Let's analyse the three options:

<h2>The Russell St Option</h2>

Basically the same as the original route, except rather go from Melbourne Central, under Swanston St to Flinders St Station and then under the Yarra to Domain, it runs under Russell St instead, with new stations on the corner of Russell and Latrobe, and Russell and Flinders.

This would still require mass disruption along Russell St, but admittedly it doesn't have the same foot or tram traffic of Swanston St. While this would be a positive, there is one major drawback. The Metro is meant to achieve three major outcomes: greater frequency of trains, greater reliability through decoupling of lines, and greater connectivity between lines.

A Russell Street route would inevitably require passengers to walk a whole city block to catch a connecting train. Not only is this a huge inconvenience (especially for the disabled and elderly) it would pose a further challenge in having to build an underground walkway to connect them.

In a day and age where we are bending over backwards to make using public transport easier, this is a definite no-no.

<h2>The Fishermans Bend Option</h2>

This is the option thrown up by Napthine as the preferred alternative - moving it west. Given the Premier has released little information about the actual path I assume the route would utilise existing track to Southern Cross, then run under the river with stops at Fishermans Bend and Port Melbourne before joining the original route at Domain.

Given the government had previously failed to promise to build a station in Fishermans Bend until after most of the housing was built, this would be a step forward. However the main benefit of this option is meant to be a much reduced cost owing to avoiding the CBD, which logic would dictate the opposite would be true given the potentially longer tunneling required. The tunnel would still need to go under the Yarra, at quite a considerable depth.

Secondly, as no part of this route runs directly under the path of a road, it would almost certainly mean that none of it could be built cut and cover. So how exactly would this route be cheaper? That's not even taking into account the cost of all the planning which would have to start again from scratch.

To top it off, it doesn't even run through the part of the city which would likely attract the most passengers. A conceivable by-product of the project would be to help alleviate tram overcrowding along St Kilda Rd/Swantston St, not add to it!

<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/Metro-Port-Melb-route.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="369" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/Metro-Port-Melb-route.jpg?itok=P-m2Cs1h" width="580"></a>

<h2>The Swanston St Option</h2>

And that brings us back to the original plan. First officially announced in 2008 as a result of the Eddington report, the tunnel was originally meant to run from Footscray to South Yarra, before being respectfully pruned to a South Kensington to Domain route. Its proposed stations were strategically placed:

<ol>
<li>Arden - The site of future urban renewal.</li>
	<li>Parkville - Situated right at the junction of the hospital precinct and Melbourne University, this would conceivably become one of the busiest stations in the network.</li>
	<li>CBD North/CBD South. Critical interchange points with the two busiest stations in Melbourne, allowing passengers to change onto every other line. Note to the station naming gods - please let common sense prevail and make these stations additional platforms of Melbourne Central and Flinders St, rather than calling them something else so that no one makes the connection that they are actually on top of each other!</li>
	<li>Domain - Major tram interchange and gateway to the St Kilda Rd business and residential precinct.</li>
</ol>
<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/Melb-Metro-route.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="390" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/Melb-Metro-route.jpg?itok=uANOy5yT" width="580"></a>

And this is only the first part of the PTV heavy rail plan. The second proposed tunnel, running Clifton Hill-Parkville-Flagstaff-Southern Cross-Fishermans Bend, will add some much needed extra capacity to the South Morang Line, a line which currently terminates in one of the largest growth areas in Australia.

In turn, this would free up capacity on the Clifton Hill-Flinders St section, allowing the possible future addition of a line to Doncaster. At the other end of the line, the whole of Fishermans Bend could be serviced, rather than just the northern precincts as proposed by Napthine, which misses the section with the highest planned density: Wirraway.

The route has undergone much rigorous analysing. First proposed in an independent report, it's backed by PTV, Infrastructure Australia and many transport experts and advocates. Almost all of the planning has been done, with IA labeling it 'Ready to proceed'. Napthine is well aware of this, and up until now has been one of those supporters, at least in theory.

Yet, despite 3 years of government, it has taken him until now to realise the route is all wrong, and needs to be thrown out with the garbage. Rather spending his energy on sourcing some funding, he has shown it petty regard, foolishly implementing deliberate time wasting strategies like a new name (Metro Rail Capacity Project) and proposing alternative routes that are painfully inferior. All in a naive attempt to garner support for the real apple of his eye - The East West Tunnel.

Reality check Mr Napthine - you can't make people buy a Ford by teaching them to hate Holden!

Much has been made of ripping up Swanston St, but does it even need to be built cut and cover? More importantly, can it be? Given Melbourne Central station was built cut and cover itself, wont the metro have to go underneath it anyway? The same at the Flinders St end - won't it have to go fairly deep to tunnel under the Yarra? This argument seems to be yet another red herring in a long list of excuses not to build it.

Political agendas aside, Victoria will be poorer for not building the Melbourne Metro in its current form. Public transport patronage has increased dramatically over the last 15 years, and we face decades of crush capacity if we don't address it correctly now. We only get one chance at this - it's not like we can rip up a tunnel if we get it wrong.

To loosely quote Pink Floyd, every delay, every loony alternative, every excuse, is just another brick in the political wall.
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TheHeadOnTheDoor

Go West - Should We Move The Melbourne Metro Tunnel?

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Australians love a good rivalry.  Holden vs Ford, Carlton vs Collingwood, NSW vs Queensland, Keating vs Hewson.  We are currently witnessing one of the greatest rivalries of all - Australia vs England in the Ashes. There's something about them that makes for riveting viewing, that captures our imagination even if we have no connection or love for any of the combatants.  
We crave the blood, sweat and tears oozed by the competitors, the mental disintegration of the weaker party, the killer blow that renders the loser to a lifetime of missed opportunity and regret, the winner an abundance of fame and adulation, whether they are worthy or not.  And so, coming to a TV near you, we have the latest installment - The battle of the tunnels.
We are all familiar with the tunnel in the blue corner - the much vaunted East-West Tunnel.  Sporting bling worth a reputed $8 Billion, its brashness and arrogance would put a LA gangster to shame.  It has also shown a ruthlessness not to be proud of, boasting of a desire to knock out defenseless houses and parkland without an inch of remorse or regret.  A worthy foe to be greatly feared, if not respected, it has spent the last 6 months or so dancing around the ring, arms akimbo, Rose Tattoo's 'We can't be beaten' blaring from the PA system, waiting for its opponent to enter the arena.  And a few weeks ago, with bated breath, it finally arrived...
<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/ipad1605twotunnels-620x349.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image courtesy www.smh.com.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urbanmelbourne.info/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ipad1605twotunnels-620x349.jpg?itok=CwKjteqW" title="Image courtesy www.smh.com.au" width="580"></a>
And so, in the red corner, we have the opponent who, despite many stories of its existence, had many people questioning whether it was all just a myth.  Promising to be the Messiah of a rail system bursting at the seams, the Saviour of the outer burbs.  Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a rousing cheer to everybody's favourite project - The Melbourne Metro Tunnel!  
Now every fighter has an entourage, but the MM tunnel has an impressive one - 10,000 will be on the red corner's payroll, barracking at the top of their voices, baying for the EW Tunnel's blood, giving rise to the red team's name - Project 10,000.  With an army of support staff also doing their best to ensure the EW Tunnel never even gets in the ring, the odds look increasingly healthy, with the latest poll showing a whopping 73% of Victorian supporting the upgrade of public transport.  So whilst red team captain, Daniel Andrews looks set to win the battle, is it enough to win the war - ie the 2014 state election?
Ted Ballieu unexpectedly won the 2010 poll on the back of promising to fix our public transport system.  So after two years of diddly daddling where no major projects got off the ground (Labor legacy project the RRL aside), new Premier Dennis Napthine, in a desperate attempt to look like he was doing something, decided to build a road.  Costed at $8 billion, it created immediate fury from local residents when it was revealed that many houses would be compulsorily acquired, along with much parkland lost.  Seemingly handed a free kick, Daniel Andrews reaction was?
Nothing.  Tumbleweed bounced down the corridors of the opposition offices at Spring St, much to the chagrin of the many protest groups.  It was then revealed that the much vaunted business case contained a BCR that had inexplicitly jumped from Rod Eddington's original number of 0.5 to a whopping 1.5.  Problem is no one has actually seen it - its existence is about as mythical as a unicorn running through a field of four-leaf clovers on February 29th.  Yet still Daniel Andrews remained silent as anger turned to bewilderment whilst people started to wonder if Labor was actually going to support it.  With no other alternatives, and just like the ugly girl/guy at the pub who starts to look good after 13 beers, even the Greens overly ambitious plans started to look appealing!
After what seemed like an eternity, Andrews uttered the words everyone was waiting to hear - "The tunnel's a dud"!  Promising an alternative 'balanced' transport plan, it finally arrive in late October in the form of '<a href="http://www.danielandrews.com.au/media/news/project-10000/">Project 10,000</a>', and carries the follwing features:
1 - Remove Melbourne's 50 worst level crossings
The piece de resistance of the manifesto is the idea to remove 50 level crossings.  Sydney has 5 - Melbourne has almost 300, Victoria has over 1800!  Whilst many would agree with this approach on the basis of freeing up traffic, the benefits are far greater.  Level crossings force trains to slow down, and most importantly, the removal of level crossings saves lives.  Any perceived traffic relief is just a bonus.  Whilst grade separation has historically been expensive (&gt; $100,000 each), doing multiple separations located in the same vicinity together should provide some economies of scale.  A big tick for this initiative.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="396" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KQ7WxIw4LCw" width="100%"></iframe>
2 - Get 5,000 trucks a day off the West Gate Bridge
Napthine's plan to tackle this was to build a new freeway, except he was going to build the half that went no where near the West.  Labour's plan is to implement what the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group have been pushing for many years - off ramps from the Westgate Freeway onto Hyde St.  Not only will this provide an extra entry/exit from the freeway, it will eliminate the need for trucks to use Williamstown Rd/Francis St, a route that runs through suburban streets and cause much noise, pollution and risk to pedestrians. Essentially a good solution that will cost a fraction of what Westlink would, it will also have a much smaller gestation period to completion.  A big tick again.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="396" scrolling="no" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7KaDLfx8eho" width="100%"></iframe>
3 - Build Melbourne Metro Rail
Hooray!  Just when everyone feared this would be consigned to the scrap heap that contains projects such as the original Australia 108 tower or Parliament's intended dome, Labor has pledged $300,000 in order to get this project going.  A step forward forward from the current government who won't even submit all the details to Infrastructure Australia, the downside is that it still won't be built for a decade.  In a day and age when one term governments are a real possibility, the Labor Party would be foolhardy indeed to assume they would have years to realise their dream if they won office in 2014.  Nonetheless it's great to see they support this desperately needed piece of infrastructure, but a braver approach may be needed.
4 - Guarantee $2 billion for country and suburban roads 
Uh oh, this is where it gets a little wobbly. The main reason we are in this transport dilemma is because the obsession we had with building freeways.  Even current transport minister Terry Mulder once quipped that 'You can't drive your way out of congestion', before he did a back flip Nadia Comaneci would be proud of.  After chastising The Liberals for throwing all their eggs in the one basket with East West tunnel, it seems Labor are somewhat overcompensating by including the upgrade of roads in order to seemed balanced.  Adding extra lanes to the Tullamarine freeway and Hoddle St would all be well and good if it involved dedicated bus lanes rather just allowing more cars and giving the false hope of traffic decongestion.  Unfortunately it's a cross here.
5 - Create 10,000 construction jobs
Wham!  Its the old left jab/right hook one/two punch - a transport plan and a jobs plan!  Whilst Napthine says the Unions support of his tunnel is vindication, that's nothing more than a self fulfilling prophecy.  The current government's complete lack of ability to get any major projects up has made the unions so anxious that they'd agree to build a hole and fill it back on again if it meant the prospect of work in the short term.  The difference here is that when the East West tunnel is finished, so are the jobs. However a piece of infrastructure such as the Melbourne Metro requires much ongoing maintenance to run, so will be a gift that keeps on giving.  So a points decision to Labor's plan here.
Whilst Project 10,000 is a definite step in the right direction, is it the killer punch that will prevent their opponents from getting off the canvas? Daniel Andrews has promised there is more to come. Suffice to say we wait with bated breath. Right now they have Dennis Napthine staggering around the ring punch drunk.  Only a knockout blow will do come November 2014. Ding ding ding - Round 2 begins whilst the public watches intently with great expectations.
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