The track is now laid for the Metro Tunnel – a critical step towards train testing deep beneath Melbourne’s CBD in the second half of the year.
Workers laid the final lengths of Australian-made steel rail on the tracks this month, the culmination of 9 months of work in the tunnels and stations.
The task began in mid-2022, when crews started installing 4000 high-performance concrete panels to create an even base to lay the rail on and ensure it was properly aligned.
With the track now in place, the team is preparing for the first test trains to run through the tunnel in the second half of 2023, kicking off a long period of meticulous testing to ensure the Metro Tunnel is safe and ready for passengers when it opens in 2025.
The testing period will involve ensuring all the Metro Tunnel’s complex systems are working together with the new bigger, better trains, alongside the wider network’s existing signalling system – an incredibly complex process.
Learn more about rail installation.