Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a transport and urban planning project that will connect our suburbs, slash travel times and ensure our city grows in the right places.

SRL East will connect our growing health, education, retail and employment precincts in Melbourne's east and south east between Cheltenham and Box Hill.

As Australia’s largest housing project, SRL will not only deliver faster, more reliable travel for Victorians, it will help deliver thousands more homes where they’re needed – right next door to jobs, services, and world-class public transport.

Tunnel boring machines to build the SRL East tunnels will launch in 2026. In preparation, we’re establishing a worksite for the new underground station. To support these works, we’re protecting Clayton’s elevated rail line, closing a portion of Carinish Road and upgrading Shandeau Avenue.

These site establishment works commenced in late 2024 and will continue until mid 2025. We’re starting with earthworks at the northern section of the Clayton worksite, fencing the site, removing some vegetation and building temporary offices.

SRL East at Clayton

About 15,000 passengers are projected to use the underground SRL station at Clayton daily when trains start taking passengers in 2035, with about 10,000 people interchanging with the Cranbourne/Pakenham line and regional services.

Getting ready for tunnelling and the new station

Site establishment activities:

• Earthworks to create strong ground conditions for excavation of the new underground station
• Installation of fencing and gates around the worksite to keep workers and the community safe
• Building of a temporary site office and worker facilities
• Changes to footpaths and traffic lanes at the entry and exit gates of our site
• Increased truck traffic as we deliver equipment and materials to the worksite.

What to expect:

• Permanent changes to Carinish Road and Shandeau Avenue (see below)
• A long-term northbound traffic lane and footpath closure on Clayton Road, adjacent to our worksite
• The Djerring Trail realigned to keep cyclists and pedestrians moving safely around our worksite. The trail will be shifted a few metres south toward Haughton Road during construction
• Some on-street parking closures on Haughton Road to support the Djerring Trail detour
• Relocation of the Clayton Community Space (see below).

Permanent closure of Carinish Road

To enable safe construction of the new SRL station, a portion of Carinish Road between Clayton Road and Link Road will permanently close to traffic from early 2025. To support this change, we’re upgrading the intersection of Shandeau Avenue and Clayton Road to assist local traffic flow. Traffic will soon be able to turn right onto Clayton Road from Shandeau Avenue and travel across Clayton Road onto Dixon Street. We’ll need to close around 6 on-street parking spaces on Shandeau Avenue to further support traffic flow.

Read more about the permanent closure of Carinish Road.

New Clayton Community Space

Building the new underground station and its direct connection to the existing train line requires changes at surface level. The Clayton Community Space under the elevated rail line will be closed and relocated to the eastern side of Clayton Road in early 2025. Sitting across 2 sites, the space will feature play equipment, picnic tables and exercise equipment, and have more open space and greenery than the original community space.

Read more about the new Clayton Community Space.

Managing unavoidable impacts

As with any major infrastructure project, there will be some unavoidable disruption while we work. The project is committed to minimising and managing disruption for residents, businesses and communities as much as possible. However, some potential impacts are likely to include:

• Changes to traffic conditions for drivers (including temporary speed reductions, lane closures, and parking changes), cyclists and pedestrians
• Some noise, vibration and dust from construction activities, machinery and vehicles
• Removal of vegetation and trees, where required.

Before works start, we will notify and engage with residents and businesses about activities planned in their area, what to expect and how any disruptions will be managed.

Access to all residential properties and businesses will be maintained wherever possible throughout our work.

Holiday shutdown

We’ll be pausing our work during the December and January holiday period from Saturday 21 December 2024 until Sunday 5 January 2025 inclusive.