This petition is intended to bring to the attention of the Victorian Legislative Assembly the serious concerns of the signatories about the extremely poor air quality in Southern Cross train and bus stations, and the threat this poses to the health of workers in the station, commuters, and local residents.
Air quality monitoring data recently obtained by ABC News show that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in parts of SCS have regularly been more than 90 times the guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A leading Victorian respiratory doctor commented: ‘From the measurements I have seen in this report, I would be concerned that this is one of the least clean air areas in Melbourne.’ Alarmingly, the Safe Work Australia standards applied to NO2 levels at the station, have not changed in over three decades and are far higher than WHO recommendations. There are currently no Safe Work standards specifically for diesel engine emissions. The extractor fans, promised and budgeted for in 2011, have still not been installed.
This despite trains left idling for up to several hours, and unacceptably high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) being measured in nearby apartments.
Action:
ThePetitioners therefore request that the Legislative Assembly of Victoria call on the Government to:
1. Prohibit idling of diesel trains and buses at Southern Cross Station (SCS) for any longer than five minutes.
2. Install external electrical power connections for diesel trains, to be plugged in upon arrival, in order to prevent idling.
3. Install extractor fans to remove harmful diesel fumes.
4. More effectively monitor air quality by measuring PM2.5 and elemental carbon (EC) levels hourly and publish the results monthly on the SCS website.
5. Include a representative of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria in the SCS Air Quality Working Group. This Group be required to work to reduce harmful diesel emissions.
6. Revise Workplace Exposure Standards for all thresholds so that they are consistent with the WHO guidelines.
Please sign our Petition at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/air-quality-at-southern-cross-station/
Surprising no one has sued the station over the diesel contamination everyday being inhaled by workers and passengers. Melbourne needs to get electrification underway for the Geelong and Ballarat lines reducing those fumes. Diesel trains are old technology and dirty and should be consigned to the regional areas and not main trunk routes.
I understand before the station or former Spencer St Station was enclosed this problem was a not a large scale as now currently in Southern Cross Station, considering that majority of the trains were all loco haul at the time…..
I understand they put in air extraction fans at first to solve the issue, apparently it doesn’t seem to be working!
Question I’d like to raise is:
1. Was this due to bad design?
As I observed that when I am around in the station in the covered areas during a hot weathered period, the station is very muggy and the air is very still like no air is circling in that large area….
2. The station look sleek and modern and I noticed the coach bays are enclosed which I find strange for place where buses are going in and out…..why is there no ventilation in such highly used area around where people seat around waiting for buses?
From my observation, It seems the appearance of the coach area seems very isolated and very dark and sometime very uninviting…..it doesn’t seem well lite up.
I noticed people complain about the smell, but can verify it exist as I chatted to frontline worker on site and they mention workers getting sick due the air quality problems. I can’t smell the fumes but it make my breathing issue flare up so I prefer sitting in non covered area of the station when I am there at times or go in the shopping mall area above….