The Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project is progressing well, with 30 million hours worked on the project so far, tunnel entrances at South Yarra and Kensington now complete, construction underway on 26 cross passages, and Arden Station (artist impression pictured) taking shape.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, met with some of the project’s 900 apprentices, cadets and trainees.
“Projects like the Metro Tunnel will deliver what we need to run more trains, more often to the suburbs – while giving hundreds of young Victorians a high skilled job,” Mr Andrews said.
“Our major transport infrastructure projects are keeping around 18,000 people in jobs and supporting around 36,000 indirect jobs across Victoria, with massive flow-on effects for our economy.”
After the completion of TBM tunnelling, Arden Station is taking shape with the platforms being constructed and the Laurens Street station entrance ground floor slab poured.
The twin tunnels are currently being fitted out with base slabs and steel brackets to house high voltage power cords.
Tunnel entrances at South Yarra and Kensington are now complete and connected to the main tunnels.
Construction is well underway on the 26 cross passages – short tunnels that connect the main rail tunnels so people and emergency services can move between them in case of an incident.
Work is ramping up on the project’s five new underground stations, with the final stages of excavation underway and work continuing to build walls, roof structures, entrances and platforms.
Once the station structures are well advanced, crews will fit them out with electrical, mechanical and ventilation systems, as well as the next-generation signalling and train control technology needed for future High Capacity Metro Trains to be used on the line.
Installation of the systems will be an incredibly complex job, with each system needing to function and interact safely with all the others and the existing network.
Once the tunnels and stations are fully fitted out, a long period of testing will ensure that the systems are integrated and talking to each other so that the newest part of Melbourne’s rail network can be operated safely and reliably.
Metro Tunnel passengers at CBD stations will be able to connect to City Loop services via underground pedestrian links at Flinders Street and Melbourne Central stations, and people will be able to catch a train to Parkville, Arden and St Kilda Road for the first time.
The project is set to be completed by 2025 – a year ahead of schedule.
“Our Big Build project teams have done an incredible job of adapting to the unprecedented challenges of the past 18 months, keeping Victorians in work and delivering critical infrastructure for the future of our state,” Mr Andrews said.
