Construction impact around Croydon’s new train station

We know that - when done well - major infrastructure projects will catalyse economic activity and create longitudinal neighbourhood benefits. But just how much does the construction 'impact' affect the local life of these projects?

Melbourne's Croydon train station reopens this week after spending 6+ months closed for a level crossing removal project. This is hugely exciting for residents (partially because many kids attend the childcare adjacent and partially because the bifurcated centre of Croydon will no longer have a train line cutting it in half)!

And so - of course - we couldn't help but to look at what the data shows about how this LXRP has already changed Croydon across the last 6 months of construction:

1. Night time activity changed

Before the project started, Croydon's main dining precinct was one of the busiest locations in the suburb in the evenings and the station area was relatively quiet. However, by May 2024, when the project had been underway 4 months, the dining precinct was notably quieter, while the workers around the station increased activity levels.

• Not really surprising, but it will be very interesting to watch how quickly the evening activity recovers

2. Visitors came from further away

Across the last 6 months, the average travel distance of visitors to Croydon jumped to 10.6km, from 9.5km the same time last year. This increased visitor catchment is often a happy side effect of major infrastructure projects, as large numbers of workers travel to the location.

• An increase in average travel distance may also be a signal that there was a decrease in shorter local visits... so let's take a look

3. Visitation from nearby suburbs was changed

When looking at the top locations visited from surrounding suburbs, Croydon's share remained steady. With residents of Mooroolbark, Ringwood, and other neighbouring towns still favouring Croydon as the top place to go, despite the physical disruption.

• The steady local visitation patterns are one of the most important indicators of the longer term local vibrancy

View the Croydon Lifestyle Report here: https://bit.ly/3YxI3xx

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