Preparations for the start of tunnelling of SRL East have reached another milestone, with excavation now underway of the western tunnel entrance at the train stabling facility in Heatherton.
The future train stabling facility will include two tunnel entrances – one at the eastern end of the site and another at the western end – where trains will come to the surface for washing, maintenance and will be stored when not in use. Excavation of the eastern tunnel entrance finished earlier this year.
The western tunnel entrance will extend around 20m below ground level once excavation is complete. Seventy-six reinforced concrete wall sections have been built underground to support excavation and underground construction.
They extend up to 30m below ground and were built using specialised machines weighing more than 200 tonnes.
Construction will also start soon on an acoustic shed, designed to reduce noise and dust impacts for nearby residents during tunnelling works. Steel walls for the shed will be installed later this year.
SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill will deliver 6 new underground stations, better public transport connections and more than 8,000 jobs during construction. It will make it faster and easier for Victorians to get to key destinations including Monash and Deakin universities, Monash Medical Centre, Box Hill Hospital and the Box Hill Institute.
Tunnelling starts this year, with tunnel boring machines launching from Clarinda and Burwood, with trains running in 2035.