PROFILE
key stakeholders and the community has already helped to shape the design and construction methodology for the Metro Tunnel , well ahead of major works getting underway .
MMRA re-visited a proposal to build the Metro Tunnel ’ s two CBD stations underneath Swanston Street from the surface down , due to the extended disruption to the heart of the CBD this would have resulted in .
CBD North and CBD South stations will now be built entirely underneath Swanston Street with construction managed via shafts adjacent to the roadway , avoiding the re-routing of trams and the costly relocation of many critical underground services .
The new underground station at Parkville was originally proposed to sit under the intersection of Grattan Street and Royal Parade . Following discussions with nearby hospitals and research facilities , along with assessment of potential impacts to tram and vehicle traffic , MMRA moved the station location further east to reduce the potential effects of construction . In addition , an option to use an immersed tube method to construct the tunnels under the Yarra River was ruled
“ Economywide modelling demonstrates that the Metro Tunnel project is expected to create around 4,700 jobs nationwide at the peak of construction ”
out in favour of using Tunnel Boring Machines to reduce the potential impacts on river users , as well as on recreational and retail facilities on the river banks , and possibly on the river itself . An immersed tube method would have involved dredging a channel in the river bed and the establishment of large work sites on both banks to lower the tunnel sections into place .
The proposed construction techniques across the project are tried and tested on many other underground rail projects around the world and suitable for a range of geological conditions and inner city urban environments .
14 October 2016