Plan ahead when travelling near Federation Square

Traffic changes are now in place as works ramp up to build a Federation Square entrance to Town Hall Station on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets. Flinders Street is reduced by one traffic lane westbound between Russell and Swanston streets for up to 4 years from October. The lane closure allows the station entrance to be safely constructed.

Drivers still have one left-turning lane from Flinders Street into St Kilda Road, and one lane towards Elizabeth Street. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and allow up to an extra 15 minutes if travelling through this stretch of Flinders Street.

Pedestrian access around the intersection and into Federation Square’s businesses, restaurants, cafes and bars is maintained. Cyclists can still move safely around the precinct, with the St Kilda Road bike lane realigned.

Fencing has been installed and ramps built to provide disability access around the site.

The former Melbourne Visitor Centre is being demolished to make way for the station entrance. The City of Melbourne unveiled its new visitor hub at Melbourne Town Hall in August.

From next year, following the completion of piling, an acoustic shed will be built over the site to reduce noise and dust from 24/7 excavation and tunnelling works. All works at Federation Square are being undertaken with the relevant approvals.

Construction look ahead

North Melbourne

First tunnel boring machines (TBMs) arrive and are launched in early to mid-2019

Parkville

Concrete deck to be built over station box in early 2019 to reduce noise and dust impacts during excavation

State Library

Piling at La Trobe and Swanston streets from late 2018

Town Hall

Acoustic sheds to be built over City Square and Federation Square worksites mid-2019

Anzac

TBMs to be launched mid-2019

Update on Metro Tunnel works across Melbourne

Kensington

Childers Street, between the Bill Vanina Pavilion and Ormond Street, is closed for up to 4 years to build the western tunnel entrance in Kensington. Later this year, the closure will extend between Ormond Street and Kensington Road. Over height vehicles can still access the Lloyd Street Business Estate and local residents can access Childers and Tennyson streets.

Works to relocate high voltage transmission lines near Childers Street finished in August.

Piles are being installed to form the walls of the TBM retrieval shaft.

North Melbourne Station

Excavation at the site of the new North Melbourne Station near Arden Street is underway and will continue until mid-2019.

A temporary bentonite plant has been built to help construct the diaphragm walls. Bentonite is a type of naturally occurring clay used to stabilise diaphragm walls. Concrete piles are also being installed to support the station box excavation.

Parkville Station

Approximately 500 piles around 32 metres deep are being installed around Grattan Street, between Royal Parade and Leicester Street. Piling will continue here until late 2018 and will support the station box structure. Excavation of around 200,000 cubic metres of soil and rock, the equivalent of 80 Olympic-size swimming pools, is expected to begin in December for approximately 12 months.

State Library Station

Digging of 11-storey deep shafts inside the Franklin and A’Beckett street sheds, is almost halfway complete across both sites. Site preparation works are underway on Franklin Street, with the westbound lane between Swanston and Stewart streets closed for up to two years.

Town Hall Station

Up to 150 piles are being installed at the City Square construction site and will continue until early 2019. Works to build an entrance at Federation Square are proceeding with traffic changes and the relevant approvals in place.

Anzac Station

Diaphragm walls are being constructed on the northern section of the station box, which will form the walls of the station. Construction of guide walls for the southern section of the station box is underway.

South Yarra

Piling is underway on Osborne Street. Up to 155 piles are being installed to form the walls of the TBM retrieval shaft. South Yarra Siding Reserve was closed in September 2018, and will remain closed to the public for up to four years as the eastern tunnel entrance is built. Visit the Metro Tunnel website for information on other open spaces in the area.

Travel time savings across Melbourne

Train passengers across Melbourne will see journey times to important destinations in Melbourne slashed once the Metro Tunnel is open in 2025.

• Alamein Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Up to 20 mins
• Belgrave and Lilydale lines. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Up to 20 mins
• Craigieburn Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Around 10 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: around 10 mins.
• Cranbourne and Pakenham lines. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 30 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Up to 50 mins
• Frankston Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 30 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Up to 30 mins
• Glen Waverley Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins
• Hurstbridge Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins
• Sandringham Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins
• South Morang Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins
• Sunbury Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 40 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Up to 40 mins
• Upfield Line. Savings to and from Parkville: Around 10 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins
• Werribee and Williamstown lines. Savings to and from Parkville: Up to 20 mins. Savings to and from St Kilda Road: Around 10 mins

Final contract awarded

The $1 billion Rail Infrastructure Alliance is the final major contract to build the Metro Tunnel Project. It includes entrances at each end of the Metro Tunnel in Kensington and South Yarra, as well as a new platform at West Footscray and associated rail upgrades that will maximise the number of services for suburban passengers. A consortium comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors and AECOM, in partnership with Metro Trains Melbourne, are delivering the works.

Archaeology artefacts on display at Metro Tunnel HQ

A team of more than 100 archaeologists, students and community participants have unearthed over 500,000 artefacts from the heart of the CBD since archaeological digs for the Metro Tunnel Project began in April. Many of the items date back to the earliest days of Melbourne’s European settlement 180 years ago.

At the Town Hall Station dig site directly beside the Young and Jackson Hotel, finds have included an opulent jet earring, ivory dice potentially used in the city’s earliest gambling dens and more than 1000 century-old human teeth tossed into the yard by a well known early Melbourne dentist.

The digs at the State Library Station site on the corner of Swanston and La Trobe streets have revealed archaeological remnants of Melbourne’s pre- European settlement woodland, personal items such as elaborately decorated smoking pipes and several artefacts closely related to the area’s distinct commercial and light industrial past.

The public can get a close-up look at some of the most intriguing discoveries at Metro Tunnel HQ at 125-133 Swanston Street, opposite the Melbourne Town Hall. The artefacts will be on display until later this year.

The Metro Tunnel’s visitor centre has been visited by more than 20,000 people since opening in June. It provides visitors up-to-date information about works in their local area and changes to the road, tram and rail networks. Audio-visual and augmented reality installations bring the project to life.

A key feature of Metro Tunnel HQ is an education program developed for Victorian teachers and available to primary and secondary schoolchildren across the State. The teaching resources align with the Victorian Curriculum and include details on what types of jobs are required to build large infrastructure projects and how the Metro Tunnel is being built. Teachers can visit the Metro Tunnel website to find out more.