Ferguson Street, Williamstown community update – October 2020

Station designs released

Progress at Williamstown

We're getting rid of the level crossing at Ferguson Street, Williamstown by lowering the rail line under the road. Lowering the rail line will make way for a new North Williamstown Station and an upgraded precinct for the community to enjoy.

Artist's impression only, subject to change.

While retaining the western station building on the city-bound platform, we’ll build a new station precinct that reflects the village feel of the area.

The precinct will be surrounded by gardens, paths for better connections and new secure bike parking.

We'll ensure that the new precinct is well-lit for safety and easy for everyone to access. Stairs, ramps and lifts will be available for passengers to access the new platforms lowered in the trench.

Removing the level crossing will mean no more waiting at boom gates with more reliable travel times and better pedestrian access to the new North Williamstown Station.

The level crossing will be removed in 2022.

Why we're removing this level crossing:

• More than 25,000 vehicles cross this level crossing each day
• More than 110 trains pass through every weekday
• About 1350 passengers use North Williamstown Station each weekday
• Two fatalities, one collision with a cyclist and at least five near misses at this level crossing]

Your new North Williamstown Station precinct

We have developed the design for North Williamstown Station which will form part of the rail under road design to remove the Ferguson Street level crossing.

Technical assessments and community feedback have helped us select the best solution for the area. We heard that retaining heritage is important to you, so we have refined the design to meet local community needs.

North Williamstown Station precinct – artist's impression only, subject to change.

Features of the new precinct

We will build a new station building on the east of the rail line, create new open spaces and improve access to the station platforms.

In keeping with local character

The precinct design complements the low-rise nature of Williamstown, keeping important view lines between the Rifle Range Hotel and the old Bristol Hotel.

Lowered station platforms

The new platforms will be accessed from Ferguson Street by stairs, ramps and lifts and will have better seating and shelter for waiting passengers.

Retained western station building

The larger of the two existing station buildings to the west of the rail line will be retained for station facilities.

More bike connections and parking

We will build a new four-metre-wide shared path through the station precinct. Near the city-bound platform and new shared path, cyclists will be able to park their bikes in a new secure bike shelter. We will also add bike hoops on both sides of the station.

Revitalised green spaces

We will free up green space on the western side of the station that was previously inaccessible.

Understanding the new station

For detailed information about how we developed the station design, the site constraints and what the station will look like, read our Understanding the new North Williamstown Station brochure.

Working in an area rich in history

We recognise the rich heritage in Williamstown and the important role this plays for the local community. We will preserve as many features in the area as possible.

We will retain the western station building at North Williamstown Station. Materials from the smaller building that needs to be removed will be reused throughout the precinct where possible.

We are investigating further opportunities to reflect the history of the area, such as the use of public art to share stories and celebrate the community's past.

To retain the heritage character and make the precinct a useable space for the community, we will:

• retain the more prominent western station building
• use the retained station building for station purposes, minimising the need for additional buildings
• reuse materials such as brick, bluestone and veranda structures within the landscape design
• build a new station building and structures that complement the existing station building and Williamstown’s character.

North Williamstown Station forecourt – artist's impression only, subject to change.

Moving around the area

When the level crossing is removed, getting around Williamstown will be safer and easier. We will remove the boom gates and update the programming of the pedestrian signals, improving the transport network for everyone.

Pedestrians

We will build a signalised pedestrian crossing point at the site of the existing level crossing, which will be synchronised with the current pedestrian lights outside the Rifle Club Hotel. This will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross Ferguson Street and get to where they need to go.

We will improve pedestrian access to North Williamstown Station by covering rail trench between Ferguson Street and the station access points. Passengers will be able to access the station platforms from Ferguson Street using stairs, ramps or lifts.

Cyclists

We will build a new four-metre-wide shared path through the station precinct. This allows for connection to the Department of Transport's Strategic Cycling Corridor and Hobsons Bay City Council's future Champion Road shared path.

Near the city-bound platform and shared path, cyclists will be able to park their bikes in a new secure bike shelter. We will also add bike hoops on both sides of the station.

Drivers

Drivers will no longer be stopped by the more than 110 trains that pass through the level crossing each weekday.

The new pedestrian signals will provide short breaks in traffic to help drivers turning onto Ferguson Street from Railway Place and Champion Road, without causing additional delays to drivers.

To safely and efficiently lower the rail line and build the new station, it’s expected there will be significant construction impacts. The community can expect road and rail disruptions, noise, dust, vibrations and frequent truck movements on local roads. Our team will work hard to minimise the disruption and we will be back out in the community to discuss these impacts before construction starts.

Artist's impression only, subject to change.

Community Feedback

Thank you to everyone who gave their feedback in our last phase of consultation.

We heard that the community would like to see a well-connected and safe precinct that allows for easy access to transport connections. You also told us you would like to see art used in the new precinct that has a meaningful link to Williamstown’s rich heritage.

Site investigations, technical assessments and community feedback has helped us determine the best urban design elements to fit the area.

All the feedback we received has been collated into a detailed report. You can view the report at levelcrossings.vic.gov.au or request a copy by emailing contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.

Visit our online engagement hub to view the designs in more detail at bigbuild.engage.vic.gov.au/lxrp-ferguson-street

Next steps

We’ll continue our site investigations and technical assessments and later this year we’ll present the finalised project design to the Williamstown community. We’ll also explain the construction of the rail under road and new station designs.

Major works will begin in early 2021, with the level crossing gone in 2022.

* Timeline above subject to change.

Read the PDF version of this community update PDF, 515.1 KB