LXRP: Mont Albert Village traders brace for more pain with station closure

Traders near a soon-to-be-bulldozed railway station in Melbourne’s east are bracing for more pain as level crossing works ramp up.

The Mont Albert railway station will close for good on February 17, with more than three months of bus replacements for Belgrave and Lilydale commuters planned. Picture: Kiel Egging.

A cafe owner in Melbourne’s east fears level crossing removal works will cut his customer base even further as a nearby railway station shuts for good.

The Mont Albert railway station, which has served the area for 123 years, and nearby Surrey Hills railway station will have their last trains pass through on February 17.

Both are making way for the new Union railway station being built as part of the LXRP’s project in the area, which also involves removing the Union Rd and Mont Albert Rd level crossings.

The extensive works will force Belgrave and Lilydale line commuters to endure replacement buses on part of their journeys for more than three months.

The buses will run between Camberwell and either Box Hill or Ringwood stations, depending on other works, until late May.

Churchill Cafe co-owner Hamid Nasirzadeh said he feared he would lose up to 30 regular customers due to closure of the Mont Albert station.

“We’re definitely going to lose some customers who are not going to come back, they will get used to other places,” he said.

Churchill Cafe's Hamid Nasirzadeh says he has lost more than 20 per cent of his usual takings since level crossing removal works began in Mont Albert. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Belgrave and Lilydale line commuters will have to endure bus replacements on their journeys from February 18 until sometime in May. Picture: Kiel Egging.

“Trade is going very slow, and it’s definitely going to get worse than this.”

Mr Nasirzadeh said he had lost about 20 per cent of his regular takings since construction began in mid-2021.

A change.org petition from the Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Traders Association to the State Government has been promoted on signposts along Hamilton St, and has more than 1260 signatures.

The association claimed in the petition that LXRP had “completely failed to work with us and respond to our concerns.

Mont Albert traders are pushing for more help to deal with the impact of level crossing removal works. Picture: Kiel Egging.

“The LXRP is a government authority that clearly has no understanding of small business,” the wrote.

“We need the LXRP to take urgent action to address the financial hardships caused by this project.”

Mont Albert railway station opened in 1890 and its buildings will be restored by the LXRP and returned to be part of a plaza being built on top of the new lower rail trench.

The LXRP team plans to launch a Shop and Save campaign during the works period, giving the first 2000 people who spend $100 or more at small businesses in the Mont Albert and Surrey Hills villages another $50 voucher to spend in the shopping precinct.

LXRP chief executive Kevin Devlin said the upgrades would be “better for traders” as they would create “safer and easier access in the area”.

“We thank locals for their patience while these works are underway, and we’ll continue to work closely with local traders to minimise the impact and to encourage residents to shop in their community during this time,” he said.