Toorak Road West tram re-routing project.

Toorak Road West Tram Re-Routing Project

Project Summary

Project summary

As part of the Metro Tunnel project currently underway the new Anzac Station is to be built at Domain interchange below St Kilda Road.

To enable the construction of this station, Domain Road will be closed for an extended period between St Kilda Road and the western extent of Edmund Herring Oval. The Route 8 tram service that travels along Domain Road and Park Street, South Yarra will be re- routed along Toorak Road West during this time.

The Toorak Road West tram re-routing project includes new tram infrastructure that will be built on Toorak Road West between Park Street, South Yarra and St Kilda Road to maintain a direct connection from South Yarra to the CBD during the construction of the Metro Tunnel project.

The tram works include brand new access stops on St Kilda Road, new duplicate tracks along Toorak Road (west), signalling upgrades at two intersections and other improvements along this route.

…what we did on this project

Touch Projects played a key role in the development and delivery of the Toorak Road West tram re-routing project. Our team managed the design development from concept through to detail design and facilitated key engagement with road authorities, utility providers, the MMRA, other public transport operators, residents and the general public.

This project presented numerous procurement, constructability and staging challenges given that St Kilda Road has several tram routes running through it, and occupations would have immediate and cascading impacts throughout the tram network. The design needed to be sensitive to the urban landscape that adjoins St Kilda Road, and in particular, needed to be delicate in order to minimise impacts on the trees and vegetation that run alongside St Kilda Road.

This landmark project was delivered whilst delicately dealing with impacted residents living in adjacent high-rise buildings. Community and stakeholder engagement proved to be both a delicate and challenging task given the broad range of stakeholders that existed on this project. Traders, residents, landlords, service authorities and private schools placed competing functional and amenity requirements that directly influenced the design, construction methodology, budget and project schedule.

Whilst the construction window for this project exceeded 9 months, core works impacting tram services occurred over three main occupations. Track and overhead power works occurred along Toorak Road, St Kilda Road, Park Street and Domain Road.

The timely delivery of this project enabled works to commence at Anzac Station without delay. The Melbourne Metro Tunnel project is due for completion in 2026 and will provide larger trains with more capacity and increased service frequency.

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