Major works are wrapping up on the extension of the Hurstbridge Line tunnel between Grimshaw Street and Elder Street in Watsonia – one of Melbourne’s longest rail tunnels.
Today marked the end of the 30-day construction blitz between Heidelberg and Eltham stations. Crews worked around the clock to rebuild and widen the Grimshaw Street Bridge and extend the rail tunnel as part of the M80 Ring Road Completion project.
With works now complete, trains will resume for passengers on the Hurstbridge Line from Tuesday, 4 November, with some minor final works to the rail line continuing into early 2026.
The extended tunnel now stretches almost 500 metres, making it the third longest rail tunnel on the metropolitan network, behind the City Loop and the new Metro Tunnel.
The project is also nearing completion on important corridor upgrades, including modernising tracks, gantries, wires and signalling to replace ageing infrastructure. Helping to improve safety and reliability for passengers along a five-kilometre stretch of line between Macleod and Greensborough stations.
Work is also powering ahead above the rail line, with drivers now using new lanes for the first time along the M80 Ring Road and Greensborough Bypass as the new M80 Ring Road Interchange takes shape.
The completed M80 Ring Road will take 19,000 cars and trucks off Greensborough Road each day.
More than 8000 workers are currently delivering North East Link, the state’s largest road project, which is creating more than 12,000 jobs.
The State Government has also delivered the Hurstbridge Line Duplication project, which duplicated 3.5 kilometres of track, opened two new stations at Greensborough and Montmorency and upgraded Diamond Creek Station – allowing 40 weekly services to be added for passengers on the line.
The North East Link tunnels, M80 Ring Road Completion and Eastern Freeway Upgrades are jointly funded by the Federal and Victorian governments and will be complete in 2028 – slashing travel times by up to 35 minutes and taking 15,000 trucks off local roads.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King thanked passengers for their patience over the past month while crews worked around the clock.
“For decades, locals have been talking about the need to fix the missing link in our road network – it’s fantastic to now see the tunnel taking shape and trains running again along the Hurstbridge Line,” said Member for Eltham Vicki Ward.
Member for Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines described it as a “big win for locals”.
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