Work is getting underway soon on a major new electricity substation adjacent to the St Albans Road trail that may cause disruptions to bikes along the route.
The trail is part of the key route that runs mostly along the rail corridor from West Footscray to Sunshine, St Albans and then further out to the north-western suburbs
Although not all up to acceptable standard, the trail is a vital connection to stations and shopping centres, and other routes such as the M80 trail.
The new substation is part of the Sunbury Line Upgrade project. Preparation works for substation construction will begin from mid-2021.
The first stage of works will involve site establishment activities including temporary fencing, site amenities for staff, protection zones for selected vegetation and installation of new services infrastructure like drainage and sewerage.
Major construction on the substation building will start from late 2021 and is expected to be completed by 2022.
The location of the substation is not far north of the M80. Ginifer is the nearest station.
It will occupy an area of land between the existing bike trail and the railway that has been selected because it will have minimum impacts on the community—other than bike riders.
The exact details of the impact on the bike trail will not be known until construction methodology has been settled, however the project has assured Bicycle Network that impacts will be properly managed.
The project is one of a number of upgrades are being delivered between Sunbury and Footscray to enable bigger, more modern trains to run more often on the Sunbury Line once the Metro Tunnel Project is completed.
The new substation replaces another in St Albans.
The project team is currently seeking feedback on the proposed design of the electrical substation.
View early designs and complete the online survey here.
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