The opening of a new train station in Melbourne’s north has been met with fury by local residents, who say its location is too close for comfort.
About 40 minutes’ north of Melbourne, a recent rail upgrade has led to Keon Park Station moving from down the road from Angela’s apartment building, to right across the road from it.
Every 15 minutes Angela says she is met with the high pitched screeching of trains.
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And if that wasn’t enough, passengers on the platform can see right into her window.
“You couldn’t make this up … if you had to write a script a comedy script, this would be it,” Angela said.
If the new station had gone up on the old site of Keon Park station, it would have avoided housing, and similarly, if they built one block south of the new station, it might have overlooked parkland.
Angela has been offered a government buyback because she bought her place before the train station shifted.
But with her aging mother nearby, she’s not ready to close the curtains on her apartment for good just yet.
“I’m really pissed off and so, too, are a lot of residents,” she said.
“People say to me ‘How did this happen? How could this happen?’ It’s just ridiculous.
“There’s layers of arrogance, neglect…and it really hurts.”
Downstairs on level two, Goran makes his morning coffee before letting off some steam regarding the recent construction.
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“There are no words to explain how we have been treated,” he said.
“It’s despicable to be quite honest. Every single day, at least 20 hours a day.”
“We need at least double or triple glazed windows … and then retractable blinds, you know that mesh material?”
But instead of the mesh, the government has offered residents a gift that’s fallen on deaf ears.
“The solution was noise cancelling headphones, refurbished,” Goran said.
“We are not going away … we are here and we will be fighting until they fulfill our demands.”
In a statement, the Victorian government said it had engaged with nearby residents “every step of the way” during the construction of the new Keon Park Station.
“We will continue to offer a range of support measures including voluntary purchase of property,” a spokesperson said.
FULL VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT STATEMENT
The Level Crossing Removal project has engaged with nearby residents every step of the way as we build the new Keon Park Station and we will continue to offer a range of support measures including voluntary purchase of property.