Metro Tunnel Arden Station finishes construction after six years
Marking a step towards an opening next year, the Metro Tunnel Arden Station has completed its construction. Teams have removed 330,000 tonnes of rock and soil since the station’s excavation began in 2018. They have also constructed a massive brick archway and facade, poured concrete for the station platforms, laid steel rail through the tunnels, installed escalators, lifts, and platform screen doors.
At the Metro Tunnel Arden Station, workers have been putting the finishing touches in recent weeks. They put in seats, pavement, and passenger information screens below ground. Above ground, bicycle hoops, seating, and landscaping were installed, along with some asphalt and landscaping work.
The last four subterranean stations remaining, which include Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, and Anzac, are still under construction. Parkville is expected to be the final station to be completed. The completion of the station was accelerated so that it could serve as a model for the other stations. The project team’s next goal is to test station features, including ventilation, platform screen doors, and passenger information displays.
Melbourne’s first move toward building a metro-style rail network is the Melbourne Metro Tunnel. It consists of five subterranean stations and two 9-kilometer tunnels that run from the city’s west to southeast. In May 2021, the four TBMs finished their tunneling.
Cross Yarra Partnership, a partnership made up of Lendlease Engineering, John Holland Bouygues Construction, and Capella Capital, is finishing the tunnels and stations contract. By 2051, Metro Tunnel Arden Station will serve as the focal point of a brand-new biomedical and health sciences district in North Melbourne, home to up to 20,000 people and 34,000 jobs.