Metro Tunnel is a year ahead of schedule: Premier Daniel Andrews

MELBOURNE’s Metro Tunnel is on track to open 12 months earlier than expected. But first, Grattan St will be shut to motorists for five years from tomorrow.

MELBOURNE’S Metro Tunnel will open a year ahead of schedule in 2025.

The $11 billion tunnel will add five new stations and help untangle bottlenecks across the train network.

ST KILDA RD TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE BEGINS

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The major project will shut Grattan St for up to five years, from tomorrow, to make way for work on Parkville Station.

Popular thoroughfare St Kilda Rd has also been reduce to one lane in both directions between Kings Way and Dorcas St.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the Metro Tunnel’s quick delivery would not blow out the budget.

“This is the biggest public transport project the state hasn’t ever seen,” he said.

“It is on budget and fully 12 months ahead of time and that is a great outcome for everyone concerned.”

Govt announces that Metro Tunnel is ahead of schedule, now flagged to be open in 2025 - a year early. pic.twitter.com/uGftQilBvG

— Monique Hore (@moniquehore) February 20, 2018

Excavations at the former site of the Melbourne City Square in preparation of the Metro Rail Tunnel.

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The government will today release the $6 billion “Tunnel and Stations” contract.

It details that the tunnels and stations will be finished by September 2024, with track and signalling work to connect the project to the existing rail corridor to follow by the end of 2025.

An artist’s impression of how Melbourne Metro station CBD South would look like.

Melbourne Metro Rail is expected to look like this artist’s impression.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan cautioned there was “still a lot of work to be done” beyond the tunnel and stations.

“This is a complicated project,” she said.

“We’re not just building two 9km tunnels, we’re fitting it out with the latest technology.”

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@moniquehore