The Andrews Labor Government is not wasting a minute building the Metro Tunnel Project, with the launch of a massive road header machine that will dig the huge underground cavern for the new State Library Station.
Premier Daniel Andrews today visited the A’Beckett Street acoustic shed where the 118-tonne, 15-metre long machine has been lowered almost 30 metres underground in pieces before being re-assembled ahead of digging commencing this week.
Road headers are massive excavating machines fitted with a mounted cutter head that will mine out the caverns for both Metro Tunnel CBD stations- State Library and Town Hall.
A total of six road headers will be used in the CBD as part of the project, with the first State Library road header starting work on mining out of the A’Beckett Street shaft towards Swanston Street.
To minimise disruption during the construction of the new State Library Station, access shafts are being built at A’Beckett Street, Franklin Street east and west, and La Trobe Street. These shafts allow machinery, equipment and workers to be transported underground to build the new station in heavily built-up areas.
Next year, a second road header will start its journey from the A’Beckett Street shaft towards La Trobe Street, and a third from Franklin Street east towards A’Beckett Street, as the three machines work together to form State Library Station.
The equivalent of almost 70 Olympic swimming pools of rock and soil will be excavated by the road headers during the construction of State Library Station, which will be located directly beneath Swanston Street, between La Trobe Street and Franklin Street.
The machines will excavate around 1500 tonnes of rock each day, with the cutter head able to smash through rock three times harder than concrete. Each road header includes a highly advanced computer used to accurately excavate the cavern.
Round-the-clock excavation continues within the Franklin St East acoustic shed, with the access shaft currently at a depth of around 30 metres. Piling is currently underway to support the excavation of access shafts at Franklin Street West and on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston streets.
The Andrews Labor Government’s Metro Tunnel is a year ahead of schedule, with the first train due to run through the Metro Tunnel in 2025.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Whether it’s building the Metro Tunnel, removing level crossings, delivering bigger trains or building the Suburban Rail Loop – we’re delivering the projects Victorians need.”
“We’re not wasting a minute with major construction ramping up on the Metro Tunnel, so we can run more trains more often.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020