The new Cobblebank station was built along the Ballarat railway line in order to improve transportation services for the growing population of Melbourne’s western suburbs and to reduce pressure on existing stations. The half-billion Australian dollar project was carried out by the Regional Rail Revival by the government of the state of Victoria.
After about a year of work, the new completed station features two platforms connected by a pedestrian overpass with accessible ramps for reduced mobility users, stairs, elevators and 190 parking spaces plus taxis stands, secure bicycle storage, drop-off areas and bus shelters, CCTV cameras, a waiting room with toilets and covered seating areas, in addition to a new lighting system.
In collaboration with local partners Opal Lighting Systems and Eye Lighting Australia Pty Ltd, PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING supplied lighting for outdoor areas, platform access and parking areas. With the aim of providing excellent lighting performance for the use and safety of public areas, THEOS professional-series luminaires with LED light sources were selected to reduce management and maintenance costs, contributing significantly to the sustainability of the entire station.
Environmental sustainability has been one of the paradigms for the realization of this infrastructure since the design phase. A high level of sustainability was reached through with 90% of the concrete used containing recycled waste from industrial production and parking area asphalt made from specially recycled materials. Water for services and cooling systems feature a rainwater collection and recycling system in order to have as little impact on the public water supply as possible. Solar panels were installed on the roof capable of producing up to 18 kW/h annually to meet about 13% of the station's energy needs. During the design stage, great care was taken to significantly increase the amount of bicycle parking to encourage citizens to use bicycles over autos.
