Preparations for the start of tunnelling of Melbourne’s SRL East have reached another milestone, with excavation under way 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. Steel walls for the shed will be installed later this year.
SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill will deliver six new underground stations and more than 8,000 jobs during construction. It will provide better transport links to Monash and Deakin universities, Monash Medical Centre, Box Hill Hospital and the Box Hill Institute.
Tunnelling will start this year, with TBMs launching from Clarinda and Burwood. The line is scheduled to open in 2035.
