The first section of the Metro Tunnel is complete, with a second tunnel boring machine (TBM) now starting its parallel route for the next section of the tunnel from Arden to Kensington.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Jacinta Allan visited the site to celebrate the construction milestone.
Mr Andrews said that since August 2019, the TBM had travelled 1.2 kilometres and installed 4,200 curved concrete segments to create the 700 rings that line the walls of the tunnel.
“The second TBM is travelling on a parallel route to carve out the second tunnel from Arden to Kensington and will break through in the coming weeks,” Mr Andrews said.
“Work began in January at the site of the new Anzac Station on St Kilda Road to assemble the third and fourth TBMs for the Metro Tunnel Project,” he said.
“These are expected to be launched in mid-2020.”
Mr Andrews said work on the State’s biggest road infrastructure project, North East Link, had also started in Melbourne’s north.
“Early work includes protecting and moving over 34 kilometres of gas, water and sewer pipes and drains and over 95 other utilities, to open the way for major construction to start in 2021,” he said.
Mr Andrews said that when finished, the Metro Tunnel would create capacity for more than half a million extra passengers per week during peak times across Melbourne’s train network.