Holdfast Bay Council supports more costly ‘rail-under’ proposal for Hove level crossing

A council’s option for the multimillion-dollar Hove railway crossing is the most disruptive and expensive, the State Government says. But it says it has its reasons.

Holdfast Bay Council has chosen their preferred option for the Hove rail crossing. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Holdfast Bay Council has thrown its support behind a rail line going under Brighton Road as part of the multimillion-dollar Hove rail crossing development, saying revised plans could help save residents’ homes.

The State Government has come out swinging in response, saying council can pay the difference for choosing a more expensive option.

Costings for a rail line going under Brighton Road are $450m, compared to $300m for a rail-over option.

The issue came to a head in January when the development led to Hove Housing SA residents receiving relocation letters.

Four options for the crossing have been released for community consultation by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

According to department documents, the option of raising a rail line over Brighton Road would require the acquisition of five properties and shut down the rail line for weeks.

The option to lower the rail line under Brighton Road could lead to potentially 46 properties being acquired and closure of the rail line for 12 months, if the rail line was not moved.

Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt

Other options for raising or lowering Brighton Road itself could lead to the acquisition of 57 properties and shut down the rail line for weeks.

At a council meeting on Tuesday night, Holdfast Bay elected members agreed to support a “rail-under” option and request a temporary train line not be built as part of the plan, to save both homes and money.

Mayor Amanda Wilson said the decision came after detailed debate and significant feedback from the community.

“The key concern from our residents regarding the rail-over option is the long-term impacts of a 1.4km long bridge cutting through our city,” she said.

“A potential solution to minimising property acquisition is establishing a shuttle bus for passengers between Brighton and Oakland stations, rather than building a temporary train line.

“We understand that this will temporarily impact services, however we have asked for this to be investigated because we believe this will allow for better long-term outcomes for the broader community.”

Transport Minister Corey Wingard said given Holdfast Bay had opted for the most expensive option, he expected a financial contribution to the project if the State Government went ahead with council’s chosen option.

Holdfast Bay Council has chosen their preferred option for the Hove rail crossing. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“I welcome the council’s endorsement of this project,” Mr Wingard said.

“Given they’ve thrown their support behind the most expensive option, and the option that takes away dozens more properties and has the greatest disruption to services, I would expect that council makes up the shortfall financially for that option should we go down that path.”

Jane Fleming, from the Train under | Save our homes| No Hove bridge community group, said the department needed to go back to the drawing board.

“The government has failed to investigate the option of utilising bus services between Brighton and Oaklands stations during a rail-under-road build,” Ms Fleming said.

“This would deliver a Goodwood-style rail under proposal, where no homes were forcibly acquired, no trees were destroyed and no towering concrete bridge.”

Ms Fleming said not acquiring homes or building temporary tracks could save the project between $50m and $100m.

A construction contract for the project is expected to be awarded in late 2021, with main works starting in mid-2022.

It is anticipated the project will be completed by early 2024.