A massive program of early construction work has kicked off in Clayton today for the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) with the laying a new 630m sewer pipe – dug by a remote-controlled micro-tunnelling machine. The first phase of works for SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill will also include road modifications, service relocation and preparation for three sites where the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be launched. Up to 10 TBMs are expected to carve the 26km of twin tunnels, linking the 6 new underground stations.   

SRL East will be open by 2035 – the first of 3 stages of the 90km orbital loop linking every major rail line via the airport – connecting major employment, health and education centres, creating a pipeline of jobs and training opportunities, and slashing travel times. A trip from Cheltenham to Box Hill will take just 22 minutes.   

The new station at Clayton will be a transport super hub – connecting regional Victorians to SRL and one of the busiest interchange stations on the network. The Clayton site has been established by Indigenous construction firm Wamarra – the first sub-contractor employed on this city-shaping project.  

For further information click here and au/39 for the tunnelbuilder archive and also visit https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au. 23/22.