The Government of Victoria in Australia has announced that excavation works for the underground Parkville Station have commenced.
The underground station is a part of the government’s A$11bn ($7.91bn) Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne.
As a part of the station excavation plan, the crew will dig a 270m-long and 30m-wide station box, nearly 30m below Grattan Street, between Leicester Street and Royal Parade.
Initially, a 3m dig will be built alongside a temporary deck of concrete and steel on the surface to mitigate noise and dust impacts.
The deck is expected to be completed by March, following which excavation works will continue further.
Once it reaches 15m, three gantry cranes will be deployed to remove rock and soil from the excavated region.
Cranes reaching 20m will be used to remove up to 35t of rock and soil materials from beneath the deck.
The first crane is already installed at the site and deployment of the other two is expected to be completed by the end of next month.
Victoria deputy premier James Merlino said: “Significant work is ramping up at the site of the new Parkville Station, as we get on with the job of delivering the world-class train network and state-of-the-art stations that Victoria deserves.”
Excavation works at the Parkville Station will continue until the end of this year. Once complete, station construction and fit-out works will continue.
The Metro Tunnel project is currently running a year ahead of schedule, with its opening expected in 2025.
