The first stage in building Melbourne Airport Rail included preparing sites for major construction.
Early works started in October 2022 to protect and relocate critical utility services along the project route across Sunshine, Sunshine North, Keilor East, Airport West and Tullamarine.
These works were completed in 2024.
Overhead asset relocation
In some areas, overhead assets such as high and low voltage power lines needed to be raised, relocated or modified to make room for Melbourne Airport Rail. These works included relocating 6 electricity transmission towers between the Western Ring Road (M80) and the existing freight rail corridor in Tullamarine.
Read more in our transmission tower relocation fact sheet (PDF, 327.1 KB)
Underground utility assets protection and relocation
Typically, the relocation of underground utilities involves installing new services by digging trenches for new pipes to be laid or boring the new pipes underground. The new services are connected to the existing network and commissioned. The design, construction and commissioning of the new services are planned in consultation with service providers, to minimise disruptions to the community.
In some cases, existing underground services may be safely retained in place through installation of protection mechanisms around the exposed service, such as concrete.
Read more in our early works fact sheet (PDF, 306.3 KB).
