Boring has started on a new, 2km jet fuel pipeline tunnel between Sunshine and Albion as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1: West Footscray to Albion Rail Upgrade.
The existing pipeline is being moved 30m underground to make way for new platforms, an extended concourse and a new forecourt at Sunshine Station.
It will also create space for a new rail viaduct at Albion to take trains over Ballarat Road, to be built as part of a future stage of Melbourne Airport Rail.
It is part of $4.1 billion Melbourne Airport Stage 1 works, which will untangle the most complex rail junction in Melbourne, creating capacity for more than 1000 trains a day through Sunshine Station by building new rail flyovers to separate regional, metro and freight trains.
The project will also pave the way for future electrification to Melton.
The pipeline, currently located between one and 5m underground, is the main jet fuel pipeline to Melbourne Airport. Albion Station car park will remain closed whils crews assemble the new pipes into 250m sections, with 8 accessible car spaces remaining open for the duration of the works.
Later this year, the pipe sections will be pulled through the pipeline tunnel and connected to the existing pipeline, ensuring a continued flow of fuel to the airport while major construction is underway for stage one of Melbourne Airport Rail.
Early designs for the Sunshine Station project were released in February, integrating the Victorian Government’s Sunshine Station Masterplan, featuring a pedestrian and cycling path over the rail line, upgraded bus interchange, and a new station forecourt with open space at each entrance.
