Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project Turns Its Focus to Station Construction

The Metro Tunnel, previously known as the Melbourne Metro Rail Project or Melbourne Metro 1, has reported significant progress.

Its twin nine-kilometre tunnels have moved closer to completion, switching the project’s focus on to its five new underground stations.

Last weekend Alice, the third tunnel boring machine (TBM) to finish work on the metro’s twin tunnels, broke through at Town Hall Station after successfully digging under the Yarra river.

It leaves just one TBM to complete the final leg of the 9km tunnels from Kensington to South Yarra, which is due to be finished in the coming weeks.

Melbourne Metro Tunnel map
Melbourne Metro Tunnel map

Arden Station will be the centrepiece of a new precinct, which is expected to be home to around 34,000 jobs and 15,000 residents by 2050. The first concrete pour to build the station’s platforms has taken place.

Jacinta Allan, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, said:

“The Metro Tunnel will not just deliver more trains, more often – but a new precinct that will have a direct link to the airport, attract thousands of jobs and provide another place for Victorians to live.”

The station will have a direct link to the city’s airport by 2029 and be within walking distance of the North Melbourne Recreation Centre, Arden Street Oval and the route 57 tram, creating a transport hub. Its design, which prioritises pedestrian safety, includes drop-off zones and taxi bays directly outside the station and more than 120 bike parking spaces.

The Metro Tunnel project is on track to be completed by 2025. When operational it will create capacity for more than half a million extra passengers a week during peak times across Melbourne’s train network.

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