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Metro Tunnel marks Parkville milestone

Metro Tunnel marks Parkville milestone

The Metro Tunnel Project now has all four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) hard at work digging deep under Melbourne. In the east, TBMs Millie and Alice are on the home stretch of their journey between the new Anzac Station on St Kilda Rd and the Metro Tunnel’s eastern entrance in South Yarra. In the west, TBM Joan has completed the 1.4km leg from the Arden Station site, breaking into the Parkville Station box in August. TBM Joan will now be recommissioned and relaunched towards the State Library Station site in the CBD. TBM Meg, digging the parallel tunnel from Arden to Parkville, is expected to break through in coming weeks. This marked the second breakthrough for Joan, following the completion of the first section of the Metro Tunnel from Arden to Kensington in February this year. Construction continues on the Metro Tunnel Project in accordance with strict health and safety measures. Metro Tunnel stations showcase world-class design Melburnians can expect world-class design to rival the transport systems of London and Moscow, as new stations for the Metro Tunnel Project take shape over the next few years. Rail Projects Victoria’s Linda Cantan has five new stations to watch over as package director, tunnels and stations for the massive project. “Our project and London’s Jubilee Line extension share the themes of generous space and natural light,” Linda said. “There are also similarities with Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line in London, and the trinocular design is reminiscent of the Moscow Metro transit system.” Ample natural light is a feature of station designs, along with generous platform size. “We don’t want commuters to face gloomy, confined stations. We want the spaces to be light and airy,” she said. “At 18 metres wide, the Town Hall and State Library platforms will be among the widest in the world, ensuring enough space for growing passenger numbers long after they open.” As commuters travel through the tunnel, there’ll be no doubting which station they’re in. “The design for Parkville will reflect medicine and knowledge,” Linda said. “Anzac’s design will incorporate the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanic Gardens.” The benefits of the project will go way beyond functional, accessible stations. “It’ll have a profound impact on the way we move around our city, untangling the City Loop and opening some of Melbourne’s most important health and education precincts to rail commuters. “It will increase the peak capacity of the entire metropolitan train network.” •

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