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If you experience noise, vibration, dust or other environmental impacts relating to the Suburban Rail Loop project, contact Victoria's Big Build(opens in a new window).
Project overview
The Suburban Rail Loop is a 90 km rail line that will link every major rail line from the Frankston line to the Werribee line and including Melbourne Airport.
Construction on the first stage, SRL East, started in 2022 and is scheduled to be complete by 2035. SRL East is from Cheltenham to Box Hill.
To learn more about the Suburban Rail Loop project (the project), visit Victoria’s Big Build(opens in a new window).
Our role in the Suburban Rail Loop project
We're helping the project understand its environmental impacts and obligations under the Environment Protection Act 2017(opens in a new window). We're working with the project across all phases, including environmental assessment, early works, construction and operation.
We advise the project on matters relating to:
- air pollution
- contaminated land
- contaminated and waste soil management
- greenhouse gas emissions and resource efficiency
- human health
- land use and planning
- noise and vibration
- surface water and groundwater.
The Suburban Rail Loop project and the environment
The Minister for Planning decided that an environment effects statement (EES) was required for the first stage of the project. An EES will be completed for each stage of the project.
The EES assesses the potential environmental impacts of the proposed development. It provides an approach to manage these impacts. The EES is available from Victoria's Big Build(opens in a new window).
Impacts relating to pollution and waste identified in the EES are:
- noise and vibration
- odour, dust and vehicle emissions
- run-off from construction sites
- greenhouse gas emissions
- impacts on groundwater
- waste soil and rock.
We made a submission to the EES process for the SRL East stage. Our submission is number 269. Read submissions on the Engage Victoria(opens in a new window) website.
Managing impacts on human health and the environment
Risks to human health and the environment are eliminated, reduced or managed by:
Environmental duties are set out in the Act. The project owners and contractors must meet all duties that apply, including:
We issue permissions under the Act and in accordance with the Environment Protection Regulations 2021(opens in a new window). The project must meet all conditions of the issued permissions.
The project's Environmental Management Framework sets out the environmental performance requirements that the project must meet.
Learn more about obligations during construction.
Managing noise and vibration
The project owners and contractors must:
- monitor noise and vibration according to the Environmental Management Framework
- follow our noise control guidelines
- reduce the impact of noise on the community so far as reasonably practicable.
You should not be able to hear noise from the project between 10 pm and 7 am from any habitable room of a house.
There may be times when work cannot be completed during normal business hours. This includes work that:
- involves continuous work – for example, a concrete pour
- poses an unacceptable risk to life or property
- risks a major traffic hazard
- could cause a major disruption to the transport system.
When unavoidable work is scheduled out of normal business hours, you should be contacted and told:
- when the noise will happen
- how long it will go on for.
Learn how we regulate and manage construction noise.
Managing waste
The project must manage all waste to meet the waste obligations and duties set out in the Act.
Managing waste soil
Waste soil must be managed in a way that complies with Victoria’s environmental laws. We work with the project on how it can manage and classify waste soil.
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