4 August 2025
We’re building a brand new underground SRL East station in Clayton.
The new station will be located along Clayton Road, north of Carinish Road and the existing Clayton Metro station. Passengers will be able to easily interchange with the existing Clayton Station via an elevated walkway without having to touch on and touch off.
2025 - a huge year for SRL
Significant work has already been completed in Clayton. We’ve moved underground services, built two new community spaces and rerouted the Djerring Trail.
Major construction is now underway, with site offices installed and large cranes and other equipment on site. We'll be building reinforced underground concrete walls from mid-2025, before excavation of the underground station starts in early 2026.
Tunnel boring machines will be in the ground carving out the SRL East tunnels in 2026.
Underpinning explained
While building the SRL East tunnels, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will travel under the elevated rail line in Clayton.
The tunnels will be close to one of the existing support piers beneath the elevated rail line, which means we will need to undertake a specialised process called ‘underpinning’.
Underpinning involves reinforcing the support pier to ensure that trains on the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Gippsland lines can operate during SRL construction and when trains start running on SRL East in 2035.
The process begins by installing new underground pillars on either side of the existing support pier, then pouring a concrete support beam connecting the pillars. The weight of the elevated rail pier is then transferred to the new support. One of the TBMs will pass directly between these two new pillars.
The underpinning process is now underway and will be finished by late- 2025. When the weight is transferred to the new supports, buses will replace trains on the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Gippsland lines for approximately one week in late- August to early-September.
Specialised designs and construction methods such as underpinning are part of our commitment to keep Clayton moving and minimise disruption while we build SRL East and the new underground station.
Community Crew lends a helping hand
Community organisations, business owners and residents living and working near SRL East construction sites are receiving hands-on help with the launch of a new ‘Community Crew.’
The Community Crew is helping locals with window, house and car cleaning, gardening, deliveries, graffiti removal, traffic and pedestrian wayfinding, and more to help manage construction impacts throughout the delivery of the project.
The team of five is fully trained to help local residents and businesses across SRL East’s southern section between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley as major works begin.
The crew is led by Solomon, a team leader at Wallara – a not-for-profit organisation providing meaningful employment for people living with a disability.
With construction of SRL East now well underway, the Community Crew is working full time - and residents and business owners can ask for the team’s help.
Upcoming works in Clayton
Site establishment
Day works: 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday
Day works: 7am to 1pm, Saturday
Night works: Occasional overnight works
SRL Clayton worksite between Clayton, Haughton and Madeleine roads
Continuing until September:
- Installing fences and barriers to reduce noise and construction impacts
- Installing lighting, internal roads and footpaths
- Installing the large equipment and cranes required to build the underground station
- These works involve noise, dust, vibration and trucks entering and exiting the site.
Diaphragm wall construction
Day/night works: 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday
SRL construction site between Clayton, Haughton and Madeleine roads
Mid-2025 until mid-2026:
- Diaphragm walls are concrete walls built deep into the ground to form a reinforced structure for the underground station
- These are built by excavating deep into the ground, installing steel cages and pouring concrete to create a solid underground wall Out of hours
- A clay-like substance called bentonite will be used to keep the excavation site stable
- Concrete pours will happen during normal working hours and evenings
- Once the underground walls are installed, crews will excavate the space where the underground station will be built
- Occasional overnight works will be needed to finish works to ensure the site is left in a safe way.
Underpinning
Day/night works: 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday
24 hour works until early September Underneath the elevated rail line, corner of Clayton and Haughton roads Mid to late-2025:
- Underpinning is reinforcing one of the support piers beneath the elevated rail line on the city-side of Clayton Station
- The pier is close to where tunnel boring machines will need to pass as they dig the SRL twin tunnels
- Buses will replace trains on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland lines for approximately one week in late-August to early-September
- By strengthening this foundation, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland line trains will be able to operate during SRL works
- Occasional overnight works will be needed to finish works that cannot be safely completed during the day.
New Clayton community spaces
New recreational spaces are now open for the community to enjoy. Sitting across two sites between Clayton Station and the Clayton shops, the areas have picnic tables, and play and exercise equipment, including the much-loved half basketball court.
The new spaces replace the community space under the elevated rail line that needed to be moved for construction of SRL East.
Together the new sites provide 20 per cent more open space and 46 new trees. We asked the Clayton community for their ideas, and designed the new spaces in line with community preferences about equipment and location.
