Suburban Rail Loop
RPS is supporting one of Melbourne’s most important public transport initiatives – Suburban Rail Loop.
Challenge
Suburban Rail Loop is a city and state-shaping project that will transform Victoria’s public transport system and support the future liveability of local neighbourhoods. An unprecedented investment in connectivity, this 90-kilometre rail loop will link every major train line from the Frankston line to the Werribee line via Melbourne Airport.
Suburban Rail Loop is more than a rail line. The broader precincts around the new stations will support vibrant and thriving places, creating more opportunities for people to live, study, shop and socialise with easy access via the new rail line, and improved walking and cycling connections. The project will also create better connections with Victoria’s regional rail network.
Solution
Working with the Aurecon Jacobs Mott Macdonald Joint Venture (AJM-JV) since 2018, RPS has worked together with Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA) on the development and delivery of a comprehensive program to engage with local communities and stakeholders about the rail loop and broader precinct opportunities.
We worked with the SRLA to facilitate engagement with more than 20,000 people, giving them a say in how the project is planned, constructed, and delivered. Our team supported engagement with more than 12,800 people across 35 pop-up sessions at train stations, received 3,000 responses to a digital campaign, and engaged directly with residents and businesses.
RPS has supported the AJM-JV’s largest ever site investigations program; a huge program with direct communication and stakeholder engagement for more than over 4,500 residents and businesses across more than 500 geological boreholes, and a range of other investigations along the alignment.
RPS has also provided technical writing services to support the development of Victoria’s first fully digital Environmental Effects Statement for Suburban Rail Loop East.
Digital engagement for Suburban Rail Loop
With online forms of community engagement playing an ever-increasing role in infrastructure projects over the last few years, RPS has supported SRLA to connect with communities and customers through a custom-designed digital engagement space.
Built for accessibility, the space has allowed stakeholders to interact and provide feedback online, wherever and whenever they choose. The space enabled the community to access Suburban Rail Loop project information while giving SRLA access to real-time insights into community sentiment, ideas and views.
Image credit: Suburban Rail Loop Authority