The first of three sheds that will encase works for Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel has been erected, with the aim of reducing noise, dust and light as construction progresses.
The acoustic shed – 20-metre high and 70-metres long – is situated at the site of the future State Library Station on Franklin Street between Swanston and Victoria streets.
Construction works, fully-enclosed by the structure, are now underway to dig an 11-storey shaft into the earth in preparation for the tunnelling to be carried out later in the year.
“Inside this massive shed excavation is underway to build the new State Library Station. That’s good news for passengers, and for Victorian workers and industries,” premier Daniel Andrews said.
Another shed is undergoing construction at A’Beckett Street and is expected to be complete by the middle of the year, while work will begin on a third shed at City Square later in the year. Each will reportedly be custom-made to minimise the impact of construction upon local residents and businesses.
The completed shed at Franklin Street was built from 290 tonnes of Australian-made steel and built by local fabricators in Orange and Dandenong. Moreover, state transport minister Jacinta Allan said, the shaft support structures also use 165 tonnes of Australian-made steel, and will be constructed by Keppel Prince Engineering, an Australian company.
“The completion of this massive shed and start of excavation works is a sign of just how far this project has come since the former Liberal Government abandoned it, and the future of our train system,” Allan said.
“We’re creating thousands of local jobs and using locally manufactured materials to build this huge public transport project.”
When completed, the State Library Station precinct will create 3,500 square metres of new public space with trees planted on Franklin and A’Beckett streets.
The Metro Tunnel project is expected to be complete in 2026, and will see the construction of five new underground stations and a tunnel stretching 9 kilometres across the CBD to link together the Cranbourne-Pakenham and Sunbury lines.