Hassell’s designs for 25 metropolitan train stations and surrounding precincts in Melbourne, Australia, not only enhance commuter safety and efficiency but create vibrant new civic spaces that will benefit communities for years to come.

“Eliminating these level crossings has helped increase safety, reduce congestion, improve accessibility and connectivity, and create new public spaces across Melbourne,” says Chris Lamborn, Principal.

In 2015, the Victorian Government launched the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), one of the largest rail infrastructure projects in the state’s history. LXRP aims to remove 110 of the most dangerous and congested level crossings across metropolitan Melbourne by 2030. In addition, there are rail network upgrades such as new train stations, train stabling yards and track upgrades.

Working in partnership with various alliances, such as Western Program Alliance (WPA), South Eastern Program Alliance (SEPA), Vic Roads and the Level Crossing Removal Authority, Hassell has transformed 25 level crossings across Melbourne.

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The practice’s work spans architecture, urban design and landscape architecture where the site’s rail or a local road was raised or lowered following the removal of the level crossings.

For every site, Hassell crafted a clear concept that addressed each local area’s unique challenges and opportunities and worked to foster a sense of community and connection to place. For several level crossing removal projects, this involved engagement and co-design with the local area’s Traditional Owners.

At Werribee, Hassell engaged with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Cooperation throughout the project to embed Connection to Country and the strong Wadawarrung cultural and spiritual association with the Werribee River into the design.

The centrepiece of which is a public art piece by Vicki Couzens and Jeph Neale of oversized emu feet, ‘Kaweerr’, the ancestral emu spirit that walks Country.Hassell’s designs for the new stations and precincts carefully balance functionality, performance and identity.

The design team aimed to create great places that serve as an avenue to catch a train or bus while also being accessible and connected civic spaces that improve the economic, environmental and social aspects for each community.

Union Station, for example, responds to the history and character of the local area, while maximising open space and establishing high-quality amenities and easier connections for commuters, pedestrians and cyclists in a tight, well-established and sensitive suburban environment.

Ginifer Station is another example that stands as a testament to the power of design to transform not just a space but its entire identity. With a bold, coloured back-lit façade, the station shed its old image, embracing a vibrant, modern aesthetic.

But this was more than a visual upgrade. The design balanced beauty with purpose, delivering durable materials and enhanced safety for a growing community. The open-plan layout fosters a welcoming atmosphere, transforming the forecourt into an inviting public space designed to meet the evolving needs of commuters.

“By tailoring our urban design and landscape architecture to the issues and opportunities inherent to each local area, we ensured the infrastructure was sensitively integrated into its environment, enhancing the site’s ecology, fostering a sense of community and elevating its overall character and purpose,” says the Hassell team.

The removal of a level crossing in Werribee in Melbourne’s south-west suburbs, and the creation of a new precinct below the rail bridge is just one of our standout projects.

Undertaken in partnership with WPA, the Werribee Street level crossing removal improves travel for the 20,000 vehicles that use this crossing daily. Raising the rail line has created 30,000sqm of new public space, extending the local park, and providing new landscaping and a custom-built skate park below the rail structure.

Shared-use paths provide new connections through the parkland and now link Werribee town centre and the train station. Over 120,000 native trees and shrubs were planted, contributing to the greening and biodiversity of the western suburbs of Melbourne.

This article originally published by the practice and reposted with permission.

Images: Cherry Street (Western Program Alliance / WPA) / Photography: Sarah Pannell

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