Construction has begun on the Melbourne Metro Tunnel’s Anzac Station, with contracts awarded for the supply of Australian-made steel and concrete to create the roof.
AUSREO has won the contract to supply more than 3,800 tonnes of steel reinforcement for the roof and Holcim will supply 15,000 cubic metres of concrete for the roof slabs.
An acoustic shed will be built over the northern section of the site to minimise noise and dust. This area will also serve as the launching site for the tunnel boring machines that will head towards the eastern tunnel entrance.
When finished, Anzac Station will improve access to the employment hub around St Kilda Road, with travel time savings of up to 25 minutes for passengers on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
People using the Sunbury line will cut up to 20 minutes off their journey, while commuters on several other lines will save up to 10 minutes to the same destination.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, and Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan, visited the site.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, said,“The Metro Tunnel is taking shape across the city, so we can run more trains to the suburbs, more often.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan, said the Metro Tunnel will create 7,000 jobs during construction and slash travel times – getting Victorians where they need to go faster.
“This is the biggest build Victoria has ever seen – delivering real road and rail projects that will transform our city and state,” Ms Allan said.
Major work is also in progress across multiple Metro Tunnel sites.
At South Yarra, demolition of the William Street bridge was completed Wednesday 10 April as part of initial work to construct the Metro Tunnel’s eastern entrance.
Workers are now busy installing 68 concrete piles to provide structural support for the realignment of the tracks, plus construction of the roof slab for the entrance.
Meanwhile, the Level Crossing Removal Project has been forging ahead with work during the blitz. Workers on the Frankston Line have prepared signalling equipment and utilities for the Carrum level crossing removal.
On the Mernda line, around 200 people worked around-the-clock for six days to demolish Reservoir station and begin piling for the foundations of a new rail bridge that will remove the dangerous and congested level crossing.
While the major closures are underway through the south-east, specialised signalling cabling has been installed in the City Loop, signalling components have been upgraded between Flinders Street and Richmond stations, and steel structures are being built around Richmond ready for the installation of new overhead wiring.
