New South Yarra station offers no benefit, will cost extra $1 billion: Melbourne Metro Rail Authority

A BID to build a new South Yarra station as part of the Melbourne Metro tunnel doesn’t stack up economically and offers no service benefit, says the project authority.

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A BID to build a new station at South Yarra as part of the Melbourne Metro tunnel doesn’t stack up economically and offers no service benefit, says the authority charged with building the project.

The Melbourne Metro project will create two new 9km tunnels through the city between South Kensington and South Yarra with five underground stations built at Arden, Parkville, CBD North, CBD South and Domain.

The Stonnington council, the Opposition and the Greens have all been pushing the Andrews Government to change the design of the $11 billion project to include a new station at fast-growing South Yarra.

The Coalition has pledged to build the station if it wins next year’s state election.

However, the project’s business case, Infrastructure Victoria, and the environment effects statement have all recommended that South Yarra station should not be included in the initial build.

A new station at South Yarra will blow the Melbourne Metro Rail cost out by nearly $1 billion.

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority chief executive officer Evan Tattersall says a station at South Yarra would cost close to $1 billion and offered little service benefit.

“With these five new stations, we’re building platforms to allow for expansion of the new high capacity metro trains that are coming,” Mr Tattersall said.

“So with these really long platforms that you need for these future 10 car sets, at South Yarra you would need a really long straight section of platform.

“To do that given it’s such a constrained environment, you could either have it as a complete underground station which would cost an enormous amount of money or you could have the open-cut solution where you take out Chapel St and half the Jam Factory which is a massive impact.

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority chief executive Evan Tattersall says a new South Yarra station would offer little benefit. Picture: Mark Wilson

“That would be fine if you were getting a huge train service benefit out of it but you don’t.”

Mr Tattersall said South Yarra residents would still receive a train service every two minutes once Melbourne Metro was complete by freeing up capacity on the Frankston and Sandringham lines.

“When we finish we take the Cranbourne/Pakenham line through the tunnel leaving us more space to run more trains on the Frankston and Sandringham lines meaning they (South Yarra) still get a two minute service, which any station in Melbourne would love to have,” Mr Tattersall said.

“Not having a station here (South Yarra) is all about being able to transfer from one line to the other.

“For the service benefit you get, it’s not worth spending $1 billion.”

@AndyJeffo