Final tracks laid on Metro Tunnel

The final tracks have now been laid on the Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne.

The Metro Tunnel will create a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the southeast, with bigger and better trains, next generation signalling technology and five new stations in Arden Station, Parkville Station, State Library Station, Town Hall Station and Anzac Station.

Once complete, the Metro Tunnel Project will create capacity for more than half a million extra passengers each week during peak times and save passengers in the suburbs up to 50 minutes a day on a return trip.

The final tracks being laid represents the culmination of nine months of work along the twin nine-kilometre tunnels and stations. These works began in mid-2022 with crews installing 4000 high-performance concrete panels to create an even base for the rail. The panels were cast in 300 different shapes to match the curvature and elevation of the tunnels.

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Following the laying of the final tracks, crews are preparing for test trains which will begin running in the second half of 2023.

Additional works are still on-going to fit out the new five stations. This includes the installation of lifts, escalators, security systems, CCTV, passenger information displays and emergency phones.

Acting Premier and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the laying of the final track was a major breakthrough for the project.

“This is an incredibly significant milestone for the Metro Tunnel project, one of the biggest rail infrastructure projects in Victoria’s history and for the future of our train network,” Allan said.

The Metro Tunnel is expected to open in 2025.