Progress continues on the construction of Suburban Rail Loop in VIC

The delivery of the Suburban Rail Loop project – Victoria’s largest infrastructure investment to date – continues to progress, with early works on SRL East well underway at Glen Waverley. 

Crews are now using a micro-tunnelling in Coleman Parade to relocate underground water pipes away from the construction zone of the SRL station. Utilising this micro-tunnelling technology will help minimise the need for open-cut trenching, in turn, reducing disruption for pedestrians, drivers and local businesses in the area. 

The new Glen Waverley underground station is set to be one of the most well-connected stations on the metropolitan rail network once it opens in 2035. This station will see trains running in three directions, with SRL offering a turn-up-and-go service. 

Once SRL East is operational, students from Glen Waverley will be able to travel to the station at Monash University in just 3.5 minutes and 5 minutes to Deakin University. 

Over 600 residential properties as well as businesses in Glen Waverley have been notified of the waterpipe relocations, with water access to homes and businesses maintained. 

Works on SRL East are also progressing at Burwood along with the stabling site in Heatherton while works will commence later this year in Box Hill and continue in Clayton. 

Meanwhile, the relocation of gas, telecommunication and sewer services across the rail corridor are also being carried out to make way for the construction of the 26-kilometre twin tunnels and six underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill, as part of the overall SRL East project. 

SRL East alone is expected to create up to 8,000 jobs during its construction, presenting exciting opportunities for training, local industry and suppliers. 

Three consortia were shortlisted last year for the construction of the twin tunnels, with the first contract to be awarded later this year. You can read more about the shortlisted builders here. 

SRL map (source: Victoria's Big Build)

The entire Suburban Rail Loop project will deliver a 90-kilometre rail line that links every major train service from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport. 

The project is going to be delivered in four stages: 

• SRL East – Cheltenham to Box Hill 
• SRL North – Box Hill to Melbourne Airport 
• SRL Airport – Melbourne Airport to Sunshine 
• SRL West – Sunshine to Werribee 

SRL will also have three transport superhubs at Clayton, Broadmeadows and Sunshine that will provide connections for regional services, enabling passengers from outside Melbourne to get to employment, world-class hospitals and universities in the suburbs without travelling through the CBD. 

Two of the four stages – SRL East and Airport – are already under construction. 

Approximately 24,000 jobs are going to be supported across the Victorian economy during the delivery of SRL East (8,000 jobs) and SRL North (5,100 jobs). 

Source: Victoria’s Big Build – Suburban Rail Loop (1, 2, 3); Roads & Infrastructure Australia