The new Anzac Station in Melbourne, Australia, will be an important part of the St Kilda Road transport hub. Credit: State Government of Victoria, Australia.
The twin tunnels between South Yarra and Anzac Station were completed in 2020. Credit: State Government of Victoria, Australia.
An acoustic shed was built at the Anzac station to minimise noise and dust during excavation works. Credit: Canley.

The new Anzac Station, owned by the Australian Victorian Government via state-owned enterprise VicTrack, is being built in Victoria, Australia.

It is expected to serve train and tram users, cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians in the region. The new station will also support construction activities south of the Yarra River.

It is part of the wider Metro Tunnel project, a metro rail project that includes the construction of five underground stations to provide a new end-to-end rail line between Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham in Melbourne.

Construction of the station began in January 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2025. The Anzac station will allow passengers to reach Melbourne’s central business district (CBD) in two minutes, and Parkville in ten minutes and provide direct service to Melbourne Airport.

Anzac Station location and design details

The new Anzac station is being built south of the CBD, approximately 22m under St Kilda Road near the intersection of Albert Road and Domain Road. The station design includes a fully accessible tram super-stop at the centre of St Kilda Road.

The underground metro station will be accessible through four entry points. The first entrance will be on the outer edge of the Shrine of Remembrance Reserve, while the second entrance is at the Albert Road Reserve. The remaining two entrances will be at the new Domain tram interchange above the station on St Kilda Road.

The canopy above the tram interchange will provide passengers with weather protection throughout the year. The large skylight at the tram stop will allow natural light to enter the station concourse.

A new underpass is being built to connect Albert Road Reserve and the Shrine of Remembrance Reserve with the new station and tram stop. The station will include more than 120 new bike parking spaces, including a bike parking area in the station forecourt.

Protected bike lanes will provide bi-directional service between Toorak Road and Dorcas Street.

Facilities at the new Anzac Station

The station will feature a new tram interchange, providing a direct platform-to-platform connection between the train and tram network. The extra-large platforms will have the capacity to serve four trams at a time and accommodate huge crowds during special events such as the Australian Grand Prix and Anzac Day.

New bus stops with shelters on St Kilda Road will provide easy connection with trams and trains. Drop-off zones and taxi zones are being built near the Albert Road Reserve station entrance.

The new Albert Road Reserve will include a shared-use path, which will provide a new and safe cycling and walking connection. A concrete separator will be created to enable protection to cyclists from the risk of car dooring. It will include parking spaces and traffic lanes.

Construction details

Excavation on the 300m-long, 30m-wide and 22m-deep station box began in January 2019. The final wall and roof structures have been put in place. The construction work to assemble the third and fourth tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for the project began in January 2020.

TBM Millie, the third TBM, was launched in April 2020. Digging of the first tunnel between Anzac Station and the Metro Tunnel’s eastern entrance at South Yarra began in June 2020.

Main construction activities include the establishment of the tunnelling support site at Edmund Herring Oval, underground utilities relocation, excavation of the station box, and construction of a diaphragm wall.

Structural works of the project include station entrance connections.

Anzac station project benefits

The new station will reduce pressure on the Swanston Street tram corridor and increase tree canopy coverage in the station precinct. It will provide improved access to approximately 33,000 jobs in the precinct and serve 17,000 residents living close to the station by 2031.

The project will transform St Kilda Road into a transport hub, with a fully accessible tram super-stop that will serve the new underground station.

The Anzac station will support the ongoing growth and redevelopment of the South Melbourne precinct. It will improve access to the Shrine of Remembrance, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park and other major attractions in the region.

Contractors involved

Rail Projects Victoria, which is responsible for the delivery of the Metro Tunnel Project, is working on the development of the Anzac Station. Ausreo was awarded a contract to supply steel reinforcement for the roof, while Holcim was contracted to supply concrete for the roof slabs.

Cross Yarra Partnership, a consortium of Lendlease, Bouygues Construction, John Holland and Capella Capital, is constructing the Anzac station, as part of the Metro Tunnel project. The consortium is supported by design firms Arup, Arcadis, and WSP.

Ardreagh Formwork was selected to deliver form, reinforce and pour (FRP) services for the Anzac Station.