The Victorian Government will tomorrow call for expressions of interest on early works for the Melbourne Metro project.
The early works, due to start in 2017, will include moving and protecting underground services such as gas, sewer and water mains, stormwater pipes and telecommunications cables, and the relocation of trees and other road features to enable the construction sites to be established.
They will need to be sequenced and coordinated to reduce disruption to residents, businesses and passengers, and reduce future disruption during major construction. Minor road and tram diversions will be put in place near the Domain Interchange, to enable early works to be carried out.
“These early works will set up key sites for major construction in 2018, so we can deliver Melbourne Metro Rail as soon as possible,” said Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allen.
“The Melbourne Metro cross-city rail tunnel will deliver the high-capacity, high-frequency metro system Melbourne needs, and lays the foundation for future growth of our train network.”
The 9km rail line through the Melbourne CBD between South Kensington and South Yarra will feature two tunnels and five new stations.
It will increase the capacity of Melbourne’s rail network by up to 20,000 extra passengers in peak hour and will integrate with existing public transport. Train-tram interchanges will be built at the proposed Parkville and Domain stations, to the north and south of the CBD.
“Melbourne Metro Rail will unclog our train network, creating an international-style turn-up-and-go underground metro system,” said Premier Daniel Andrews.
The main works on the project, including the tunnels and stations, will be delivered by an ‘availability based public private partnership’, meaning that, on top of designing and building the tunnels and stations, the private sector will also be responsible for financing, operating and maintaining the infrastructure.
The Early Works EOI will be available at www.tenders.vic.gov.au with applications closing on 23 December.