The circumstances surrounding the build and subsequent opening of the new Keon Park railway station requires a more in-depth audit and review by an independent organisation. How is it a new railway station complete with skyrail access was build on the southern side of Mahoney’s Road rather than on the existing site on the northern side.
Reports state it is possible to stand on the platform and look directly into the bedrooms and lounge areas of residents not more than 5 metres away from the rail structure.
How could this have possibly been allowed to happen?
The above images were taken by https://x.com/AkaTrains of Twitter Fame who makes a good point about again not connecting the pedestrian paths under or over the road.
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They moved the station 15 metres closer to the apartments to save the cost of moving utilities when the station should have been further away from housing. There are further examples of this stupidity on the line around Bell Street.
The apartments were still under construction till 2022! And from the google streetview of the stage of the uncompleted apartments, it appears they may not have even been completed before March 2022 when the new station location was confirmed.
The apartments weren’t even started until 2019. See pic/s below in http://tiny.cc/f0yqyz
(I did do some photo screencaps, to highlight specific years, but this FB page doesn’t allow photos to be put/attached to comments.)
Note the date at top left, of December 2021, & the picture shows apartments are well off completion. Note the date(s) along Streetview captures years timeline, & the 2019 one.
They were built without double-glazed windows, apparently (according to one item), but more I read more in some the more I call bs re some things in those articles.
Hasn’t anyone ever heard of one-way tint!! Which can be added to windows at any time.
How many cars are there where can’t see inside, at all! Due to tinted windows.
Home Windows Tinting start from around just $40 per square metre.
Why isn’t the noise of the trains going past,& why wasn’t the train horns for down (outbound) trains just before the (recent) level crossing and the constant noise/bells of the boon gates an issue for these residents.
As of course can’t complain when that was all there, before the apartments were built! (which was after 2018!). While the plans weren’t officially announced till March 2022, it was well known there was a new Station to be built at Keon Park as it was listed in the 50 LXRP planned, in late 2014 to start from 2015. There was no decision as to which side it was (& I’m guessing some might have just assumed it was to be on same side, but it’s been shown & known for several years. If they’d bought off-plan around or before 2015, some of their complaining might be justified, but after….
Assuming these are Strata-Title apartments, why didn’t the owners arrange for double glazed windows (even triple glazed), & they’ve had 2 years (since March 2022 when the Station designs went on display) to arrange for & get one-way tinted windows.
Some might reply but they didn’t know the platforms were going to be where they are.
That pic above is clearly an LXRP architects impression, done & published more than 2 (almost 2.5) years ago. Streetview Timeline http://tiny.cc/f0yqyz
From the streetview timeline / years captures, the apartments not completed till some time in 2022, with the plans for the new station going on display March 2022, surely it was possible to get double glazed & one-way tinted windows while they’re apartment/s were still being completed…
It’s almost like people are saying these are the only apartments that are right next to an elevated Station in Melbourne, & only ones that can be looked into from a station platform.
They’re not. And before anyone says but in other place the apartments were built after the elevated platforms in other locations, these Keon Pde ones were only completed 6 months (at the most & may be less) prior to the actual work for the new station started. With the apartments completed around or after final decision for station location.
BUT track work was already being done well before that, with replacement buses running at night.
(Mernda line is my line, & replacement buses at certain times on some days (originally) for Keon Park seems like it’s been happening for 3 years. Or more).
If any of these ones complaining would like to swap their apartment for my house, & some cash as my house is worth more, I’m happy too lol.
Nah, wouldn’t swap & nothing re do the house, but as I live between 2 stations on 2 lines, between 2 tram lines routes, near an east-west bus route, 10 minutes walk from bus to city route, & 10 minutes walk to several north-east routes, for someone who loves trams trains bus transport, & it doesn’t take anymore than 15 minutes more, than driving, to get to much of Melbourne metropolitan areas, that I go to, it’s fantastic location.
And yes, I know this is an essay. You don’t need to comment it is, as someone invariably does, when I write a lot re trains, stations, & trams etc. I know heaps about PT from using most of it. In fact, I think I’ve been on all metropolitan train lines, & all metropolitan tram routes, & is only a few I’ve not been to last stop on the line or route, though I’m not one to note train car numbers & tram numbers (kudos to those who do) but I do know which tram class start at what number
The announcements have to be turned down or scrapped. Unfortunately lack of flexibility with State Government agencies and contractors is a reflection of our defacto one Party State mind set.
The removal of Keon Park level crossing was a shock announcement in 2022. So there is no way purchasers would have been alerted to it. During 6 years of community campaigning for the Reservoir level crossing removal Keon Park was never put on the table.
By the way the high tension lines that cut through residential Reservoir to Merri Creek do not carry much power and should have been put under ground. These power lines were built in breach of current and past SEC and State Government guidelines showing utter contempt to this largely migrant area. In other areas such lines are not hanging over residential properties. The under-grounding of these lines could have been funded by State community support funding given the pokies revenue and taxes that have been plundered from this same area for decades.
When I raised this matter of removing these high tension powerlines with the Federal member the response was a political threat that Labor would chop off my head if I did not stop raising the issue. This bluster turned out to just be a taxpayer funded election letter promoting residents to put me last in a council election. I still have head and unfortunately Keon Park and Reservoir residents still have a legacy of substandard State Government infrastructure.