Suburban Rail Loop site investigations begin

Suburban Rail Loop drilling begins

Geotechnical work is underway at Box Hill for the next stage of Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop.

Site investigations signal the start of a ground works programme across Melbourne’s southeast to help understand ground conditions and plan for the new underground alignment and station locations.

Geotechnical investigations involve drilling boreholes of depths between 30-60 metres. The rock and soil is then tested for composition and stability with each site taking around two weeks to analyse.

These investigations will help to determine the stages and timing of the project and how it will be built.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the Suburban Rail Loop will change the way Victorians move around Melbourne slashing travel times.

“We said we’d get the Suburban Rail Loop started and that’s what we’re doing, with geotechnical work now underway in Box Hill,” he said.

The Suburban Rail Loop will connect every major railway line from the Frankston line to the Werribee line via Melbourne Airport.

When finished, the loop will aim to enable people living in the regions to avoid the centre of melbourne when accessing jobs in growing economic precincts outside of the CBD.

Construction on the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop is expected to begin in 2022.