The Suburban Rail Loop will be a twin-tunnel, standalone rail line that is fully integrated into the existing public transport network.
Being a standalone line means the design of the trains will not be constrained by the requirements of Melbourne’s 100-year old train network.
As a result, the Suburban Rail Loop will be serviced by a dedicated fleet of quicker, high-tech trains, enabling easy hop on and hop off travel for passengers. The trains will be 4 or 5 carriages long, meaning the platforms can be shorter, reducing the walking distance at each station.
Pre-construction work on the Stage 1 route from Box Hill to Cheltenham is underway, with 14 boreholes already dug, and close to 100 expected to be drilled by mid 2020.
The information gathered during pre-construction work will help determine the exact station locations for the project. Construction on Stage 1 of the Suburban Rail Loop is expected to commence in 2022.