A new pipeline tunnel stretching 2km from Sunshine to Albion is one step closer to completion following underground drilling works.
The major jet fuel pipeline running along the rail corridor is being relocated as part of Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1: West Footscray to Albion Rail Upgrade, which will untangle 6km of track between West Footscray and Albion.
As a result, Sunshine Station will become a transport superhub with capacity to accommodate 1000 trains every day.
Crews have been using twin drilling rigs to bore 30m underground, ahead of works to pull the new pipes through the tunnel in the coming months.
The first drill rig operated from the Albion Station car park, boring along the rail corridor towards the city while a second one operated from within the rail corridor at Sunshine, boring towards Albion.
The pipeline, currently located between one and 5m underground, is being relocated to create space for two new platforms, an extended concourse and a new forecourt at Sunshine Station.
An upgraded bus interchange and new pedestrian and cycling access across the rail line at Sunshine will also be built as part of the project.
The Albion Station car park will remain closed until later this year while crews continue the assembly of the new pipes into 250m sections, with eight accessible car spaces remaining open for the duration of the works.
Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1 will pave the way for trains to the airport and electric trains to Melton, and is forecast for completion by 2030.
In other news, the McConnell Dowell SRG Global Utilities Joint Venture has finished microtunnelling for SA Water in Adelaide.
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