The
Melbourne Metro Rail Project (marketed as the
Metro Tunnel and formally known as the
Metro Rail Capacity Project) is a metropolitan rail infrastructure project currently under construction
[1] in
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It includes the construction of a twin rail tunnel between
South Kensington station (north west of the
Melbourne City Centre) and
South Yarra (in the south east) with five new underground stations.
The project will increase the capacity of the rail network to metro-style frequencies. The project has been touted as a precursor for various other expansion projects outlined in the
PTV Network Development Plan, in particular an expansion of rail services to
Doncaster,
Melbourne Airport and
Rowville. It will also allow for the operational separation of various existing lines.
[...]
The need for an overhaul of the existing commuter rail network was first discussed in the early 2000s as unprecedented population growth began to place significant pressure on existing rail infrastructure and constraints on the inner core of the network as it approached capacity. A plan to create a
London Underground style "tube" system for Melbourne was first proposed in 2005 running between the inner-north and linking up to the south-eastern suburbs via the
CBD and
St Kilda Road.
[7]
By 2008 the
Brumby Government, as part of the now defunct
Victorian Transport Plan, envisaged a two-stage project known as Melbourne Metro 1 and Melbourne Metro 2. The 17 km twin rail tunnels would have run from
Footscray station to
Domain Interchange via the CBD (Stage 1), costing approximately $4.5 billion, with the second stage running from Domain to
Caulfield. Combined, this plan would link the
Sunbury and
Dandenong lines, freeing up capacity within the existing
City Loop to add more services.
[...fast forward...]
In October 2015 the government announced it had abandoned earlier plans to run the tunnel just metres beneath Swanston Street and above the existing
City Loop tunnels and instead place parts of the project 40 metres underground between CBD North and CBD South stations. The decision was made to reduce disruption to trams and traders on
Swanston Street and avoid removing critical utilities, such as telecommunication lines, from beneath the street.
[11] The government said it would compulsorily acquire the properties of 63 households and 31 businesses at several locations on the tunnel route.
[12]
In January 2016 soil testing and drilling began in the Yarra River.
[13] In February 2016,
CPB Contractors, a
John Holland/
KBR consortium and a
Lend Lease/Coleman Rail consortium were shortlisted to bid for the early works.
[14]
In June 2016, John Holland was awarded a $324 million contract which includes the excavation of 35 metre deep open shafts adjacent to Swanston Street to enable the underground construction of the two new city stations, and the relocation of up to 100 subterranean utilities. Utility relocations started in July 2016.
[15][16]
In August 2016, three consortia were shortlisted to bid for the main contract:
[17]
In January 2017 works commenced in Melbourne's CBD to build shafts to allow the insertion of tunnelling equipment, and to build the new CBD North station. The works in the CBD have seen the closure of sections for Franklin Street and A'Beckett street for up to five years. Works also commenced along St Kilda Rd to prepare for the construction of both the tunnel and the Domain station.
[1]
In July 2017 the Victorian Government announced the Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP) as preferred bidder for the $A 6bn Melbourne Metro Tunnel and stations public-private partnership. The consortium led by Lend Lease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital has been chosen to build the 9km long tunnel and five new underground stations.
Construction for the project commenced in 2017 and is targeted for completion by 2026.
[...continues next pane...]
