The Ballarat Line Upgrade has delivered much needed extra trains services and improved reliability for the growing communities in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Ballarat.

The project delivered more frequent and reliable services and increased safety by upgrading signalling and level crossing activation, constructing new passing loops at Ballan and Millbrook plus a new station at Cobblebank and major upgrades to four other stations. The decommissioning of the Bungaree passing loop enabled the removal of five level crossings (i.e. track and unused signalling infrastructure within 50 m either side) and roads regraded to improve road safety.

 

The Ballarat Line Upgrade included:

  • Duplication of 18 km of track between Deer Park West and Melton
  • Duplication of 330 m of track at Wendouree Station
  • Upgrading Rockbank Station and extending platforms, constructing a new pedestrian overpass link between platforms and building a new car park
  • Additional platforms at Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Wendouree stations, with new pedestrian overpass links between platforms
  • New station at Cobblebank to serve the new Atherstone housing development and surrounding communities
  • New stabling facility at Maddingley and the removal of the existing stabling facility at Bacchus Marsh
  • A new 5 km passing loop at Ballan
  • A new 4 km passing loop at Millbrook
  • Removal of five level crossings on the decommissioned Bungaree passing loop.
Location

Melbourne, Victoria

Client

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority (MMRA)

Expertise
Rail & Metro Urban Communities

Our Role

SMEC worked closely with Alliance partners Lendlease and Coleman Rail to achieve both commercial objectives and design objectives to deliver the project to the communities of western Melbourne, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Ballarat.

SMEC’s rail engineering, transport, infrastructure, urban design and landscape architecture teams undertook detailed design services to deliver enhanced customer experience and passenger facilities at the new Cobblebank Station and for the four existing train station precincts at Rockbank, Melton, Wendouree and Bacchus Marsh. SMEC’s role also included the detailed design and construction phase services for the rail infrastructure upgrades, including track works, structures, drainage, earthworks, combined service routes and geotechnical structures.

Each station presented a unique set of opportunities and constraints in relation to multi-modal connectivity, intersection design, public realm and landscape character which was developed in a multi-stakeholder review structure to deliver innovative, robust and cost-effective solutions.

The project successfully attained the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) green star accreditation at each station development. This was accomplished in a variety of innovative ways including providing strategic tree canopy cover, the use of sustainable materials in concrete mixes, the adoption of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) implemented through the use of bio-retention swales, and the use of solar panels where appropriate and beneficial. Further sustainable features included providing rain-water tanks for use in bathroom facilities and for regular platform wash downs. An increased provision of bike parking at the stations was also provided in the urban design to further encourage this sustainable mode of transport.

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