Broadmeadows ‘deserves better’ than ’dark, dingy’ station

Broadmeadows train station has been rated one of the worst in Melbourne. Now the Leader has launched a campaign to back a call to demolish it and make it a precinct to be proud of.

Hume Mayor Carly Moore says she is disappointed there has been no substantial money for the redevelopment of the Broadmeadows train station. Picture: Rob Leeson

Hume Council has demanded the “dark, dingy” and unsafe Broadmeadows train station be demolished and the site turned into a vibrant transport hub.

Furious at again missing out on State Budget cash, the council has renewed calls for the government to spend $80 million to rebuild the long-neglected station to match similar precincts in Frankston and Ringwood.

Mayor Carly Moore told the Leader the station, which opened in 1990, hadn’t had any major refurbishments and was one of the most rundown in the state.

“The current station is a poorly designed building with bad visibility. There is a dark run-down underpass, the building has bleak shadowing corners and platforms exposed to the weather.

“Broadmeadows needs a whole new station now. Broadmeadows deserves better”.

The Leader agrees and has teamed with the council to launch our ‘Fix The Station’ campaign.

Cr Moore said a new Broadmeadows station “must include a new bus interchange and additional spaces for people to park, provide easy access for commuters and residents to cross from both sides of the railway line and encourage new investment in the Broadmeadows Town Centre”.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowden said safety at the station had been a concern in the past.

A train arrives at Broadmeadows station. Picture: George Salpigtidis

“Everyone has a right to feel safe using public transport,” he said. “If safety is a concern at that station, then absolutely the government should look at upgrading it.”

The station has come close to snaring cash for a major overhaul in the past decade.

In 2009, the John Brumby Labor government promised $80 million to develop the station and wider Broadmeadows. But Labor lost the 2010 election and the money was never spent.

State Government spokesman Joel Dwyer said they had recently delivered $4 million of upgrades at the station, and were developing a business case for a better facility.

However, Cr Moore said the works, which included a new northern platform entry, and minor improvements to the lounge, the underpass and the toilets, were just “maintenance”.

She said the business case did not address key problems, including the subway.

“Our community deserves to feel safe and comfortable using public transport,” she said.

Broadmeadows train station. Picture: George Salpigtidis

Keep Broadmeadows on track

Hume Council’s push for a major overhaul of Broadmeadows station and surrounds follows renewal initiatives at Ringwood and Frankston stations, which cost $66 million and $70 million respectively.

Those two regions, along with Broadmeadows, are classified as “metropolitan activity centres”, a State Government planning initiative aimed at providing work, entertainment, and housing within the suburb, all served by public transport.

Cr Moore said they just wanted Broadmeadows to get the same outcome.

“We are spending a lot of money on the redevelopment of Hume central and we are looking for the station to mirror what we are doing here,” Cr Moore said.

“We want to encourage more investment in the station. We want the station to be what the community of Broadmeadows deserves.”

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Cr Moore said a lot of interstate and international travellers also passed through the station on their way to Melbourne Airport.

“The current state of the Broadmeadows train station does not reflect an appropriate welcome to the gateway to Victoria,” Cr Moore said.

State Government spokesman Joel Dwyer said passengers at Broadmeadows would benefit from more services once the Metro Tunnel opened, with the station also set to be a super hub as part of the Suburban Rail Loop, which is expected to be completed by 2050.