Victoria Park Station work to start next month

17/7/07

Work on a new train station for Victoria Park is due to start next month, with completion expected by mid-2008.

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said Broad Construction Services had been awarded the $9.2million station contract.

“Construction of Victoria Park’s long overdue new train station is scheduled to begin on August 27 this year,” Ms MacTiernan said.

The new station would be built 230m south of the existing facility, in a similar ‘island platform’ style with access via a bridge, stairs, a lift and ramps.

“The Public Transport Authority (PTA) has completed a comprehensive community consultation program to make sure it will suit the needs of the local community.

“This included talks with the Town of Victoria Park and consultation with a stakeholder review group that included the local ratepayers’ association and the Association of the Blind, whose new headquarters will be across the road from the station.

“All our new stations comply with Disability Discrimination Act guidelines, but Victoria Park in particular will feature a tactile map to assist people visiting the Association for the Blind.

“Also, before the project starts, the contractor will contact nearby householders with an offer to inspect the condition of their properties, so that any damage caused by construction can be properly assessed.”

Station works would include:

• an island platform which will house a customer service booth;
• a station building - a roof structure over the platform, communications room, cleaner’s room and stairs to a footbridge;
• a roofed footbridge linking Rutland and Kitchener Avenues to the station entry structures, as well as access ramps, stairs and a lift between the footbridge and platform;
• passenger drop-off locations, vehicle circulation areas and footpath access; and
• moving the audible pedestrian crossing on Kitchener Street to immediately north of Duncan Street.

The construction contract was part of the PTA’s ‘Building Better Stations’ project, which had been put on hold because the overheated construction market meant that a suitable contractor could not be found.

With construction of the Southern Suburbs Railway in its final stages, more contractors had become available to competitively tender for the job.