Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East given the green light following an environmental effects assessment

environment, melbourne, rail, Rail Projects Victoria, Suburban Rail Loop, Victoria,

August 30, 2022

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Victoria’s biggest infrastructure project continues to progress after environmental effects pass and the inquiry’s recommendations are endorsed.

Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape Melbourne’s future liveability, productivity and connectivity. The 90km rail line will link every major rail line from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport, connecting Victorians to jobs, retail, education, health services and each other.

Read more about the Suburban Rail Loop project here.

Suburban Rail Loop East

The Suburban Rail Loop East from Cheltenham to Box Hill (SRL) will link Melbourne’s east and southeast neighbourhoods, creating many jobs, health, education, and retail outlets. It will also slash travel times, create more public spaces, enable more direct journeys for regional Victorians and enhance walking, cycling and green spaces.

Victoria’s biggest infrastructure project – the Suburban Rail Loop East – has been given the green light following a Ministerial assessment of its environmental effects.

An independent inquiry received more than 360 submissions over 39 days of public hearings before recommending strong outcomes that will benefit the community during construction and operation.

In her capacity as the Minister under the Environmental Effect Statement Act, Minister Lily D’Ambrosio’s assessment endorsed the inquiry’s recommendations and found the project’s environmental effects acceptable. She noted that SRL East would bring enormous benefits to the community with careful management of the environmental impacts.

SRL East will deliver 26 kilometres of twin tunnels and six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill, with trains running by 2035 and an end-to-end trip taking just 22 minutes.

The Minister found many impacts have been avoided by putting the line underground and that the environmental effects of SRL East have been identified and carefully considered through the EES – the state’s most rigorous and transparent assessment and approvals process.

The process addressed construction and operational outcomes for residents, including:

• Replacement of open space required for the project, including new parkland to offset the land needed for the SRL stabling facility at Heatherton
• Tougher requirements to limit construction noise and traffic impacts
• Additional bicycle connections and footpaths to encourage walking and cycling, including connections to the Ringwood Cycling Corridor in Box Hill and upgrading Gardiners Creek Trail
• More support for businesses affected by construction

Construction of SRL East started in June with initial works in Clayton – creating the first of up to 8,000 jobs. This endorsement by the independent Inquiry and Advisory Committee comes after the Business and Investment Case revealed the project stacks up – returning up to $1.70 to the economy for every dollar spent.

The Andrews Labor Government has created open space and sporting and recreation facilities, built bike paths and worked to mitigate construction impacts on residents and businesses across our 165 Big Build projects. This approach will continue as we get on with the Suburban Rail Loop.

Source: © Copyright State Government of Victoria

Image Source: Copyright © 2022, State Government of Victoria, Australia.

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