Current Situation
The present day Huntingdale station operates satisfactory in terms of grade separation; the project undertaken to achieve this was completed during the 1970s. However, the overall design back in those days was to construct overpass bridges for the roadways, and leave the railway tracks relatively untouched at ground surface level. In contrast, based on the grade separation projects undertaken in the 2000s and beyond, road carriageways remain at ground surface level whilst the railway tracks (and station platforms) are lowered to below ground.
Huntingdale station operates as a single central platform, accessed via underpasses connecting to the car park on the northern side, and both sides of Haughton Road on the south. The main bus interchange is located on the northern side of the station, as a series of unsheltered and minimalist bus stops along the kerb of Huntingdale Road. As the nearest bus stop to Monash University, it is a common sight to see the roadside kerb crowded with students waiting for the next bus. Similarly, in the evenings, the central station platform can become rather crowded with students waiting for a city-bound train to arrive.
Station Relocation, Road Changes & Carpark
To accommodate the required alignment for the future Rowville metro line, the station itself would need to shift “up the track” closer to Oakleigh. This would enable the Rowville tracks to “branch off” and align below ground with North Road. The Clarendon Avenue section which provides North Road commuters access to Haughton Road and Huntingdale Road southbound would be “disconnected” from the main North Road access point, and instead be treated as a local street-way.
Preservation of the North Road overpass would allow east-west traffic the same interrupted flow. All connecting ramps to North Road would become single direction, as either entry or exit routes. The south-east current termination of Huntingdale Road (north side) would thus be removed completely and replaced with the main exit ramp from North Road – directing westward traffic to both directions of Huntingdale Road.
Huntingdale Road would thus become a dual carriage thoroughfare, with two sets of traffic lights controlling the exit/entry ramps to North Road. Haughton Road would remain fixed in its alignment, but the intersection with Huntingdale Road would be converted from roundabout into traffic light controlled, with the signalling aligned to the exit/entry ramps to North Road. The junction with Moroney St would serve as an entry point into the new ground-level carpark, which would extend to Railway Parade at the north end, with another carpark entrance/exit positioned at the Moller St junction. In a similar fashion, Stradbroke St junction on the eastern side of Haughton Road would serve as an entry/exit point to the east-side ground-level carpark, immediately to the south of the North Road. The North Road west-bound exit ramp to Huntingdale Road would also include an entry-only access point to this carpark.
Interchange Configuration
The Huntingdale Interchange differs slightly from normal Interchange stations in that it the Rowville metro line merges with the main trunk line of Cranbourne/Pakenham here. Thus, whilst the station is configured as follows, the city-side of the station tracks merge to form a triple railway track alignment.
- Ground-level interchange waiting areas and access escalators to general station floor
- Station floor, with underpass corridor connections and ticket gantries & machines.
- Upper platform: Rowville (west) city-bound, Dandenong (east) outbound trains.
- Lower platform: Rowville (east) outbound, Dandenong (west) city-bound
Both platform levels would be directly connected to each other via escalator, lift and stairs. They will also connect directly to the ground-surface level and facilities:
- bus station, with bus lanes directly accessible from the upper train platform escalators (no ticket gantries in between)
- ticket gantries and machines
- leasable space for three or four retail shops
Station Access/Entrances
The station floor is the first level below ground. As such, it offers direct access to the multi-storey carpark located to the immediate west of Huntingdale Road. One entrance corridor would lead south-west, and allow for escalator/stairway access from the south-west side of Haughton Road. The land bounded by Haughton Road/North Road and Moroney St would have been acquired as part of this redevelopment, with this access point being developed as an area of shops and car drop off.
A south-eastern corridor route would follow Haughton Road (either below it or parallel to it to the slight north), and provide pedestrian connectivity to the major eastern carpark and another ground-surface entrance south of Haughton Road, close to where the Kindergarten is located.
Approaching Huntingdale Station from the northern side, the station level would open up to a corridor, with supporting shops,heading towards Hume St. Entrances accessed from this corridor would include one on the north side of Railway Avenue, and also on the north-east corner of the Huntingdale Rd/Hume St junction.
In this way, pedestrian access to the station would be direct, and not require crossing any major road at the ground/street level. Cars would also have clear and easy/direct access to the expanded car park facilities.
Given the new Rowville metro connection to Monash University (which is the highest level of demand for bus traffic), the bus stop on Huntingdale Road where the entrance ramp to North Road eastbound is located would be upgraded and relocated. The new land “claimed” from the below ground railway lines on either side of the new Huntingdale Road, where the new exit/entrance ramp intersection would be offers opportunities for an expanded bus interchange.