Melbourne’s $12bn Metro Tunnel is expected to open in less than a year, according to its builder, who let the new completion date slip at a business lunch.
Joe Barr, the chief executive of construction giant John Holland, told a Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event on Tuesday that the tunnel would open in September 2024. Earlier this year the government had said it would open in 2025, which itself was a year ahead of the initial schedule.
“It’s exciting. We’ve been working on this thing with our partners and the government for 10 years and next year will be the year where it is revealed,” Barr said.
“If you go underground in Melbourne at the moment, the trains are being tested at full speed and we’re certainly looking forward to day one operations in September next year.”
Consisting of two 9km train tunnels under the CBD, the tunnel will connect the Sunbury line, which runs through Melbourne’s western suburbs, with the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, in the city’s south-east, taking the pressure off the City Loop.
Daniel Andrews described a test drive in the tunnel as the best moment of his nine years as premier when he resigned last month.
Five new stations will also be created, including Anzac, near the Shrine of Remembrance, Parkville, near the University of Melbourne and several major hospitals, and Arden, a developing area in Melbourne’s north.
The newly appointed minister for precincts, Colin Brooks, told the event the train line would change the way people travel in Melbourne and would act as a “catalyst for renewal” in areas such as Arden, which he described as a “rundown industrial area at the end of its life cycle”.
“Arden will become a thriving new neighbourhood that will accommodate 34,000 jobs and 20,000 residents,” he said.
In his speech, Brooks said Melbourne’s population was forecast to reach 9 million by the 2050s, roughly the size of London today.
He said more people would be forced to live further away from the jobs, education and services if the city does not “reshape” itself.
“It’s our job to make sure disadvantage doesn’t evolve through lack of choice and opportunity,” Brooks said.
He said successful major cities such as London, New York and Singapore had all significantly invested in transport infrastructure “that encourages multiple employment and economic districts”, and pointed to the 90km Suburban Rail Loop as the state’s possible solution.
Barr also suggested Melbourne take inspiration from cities like Singapore.
“Singapore has almost achieved their aspiration of a train station within 300 metres of anybody in Singapore, which is incredible,” he said.
“That ability to be able to connect and get around locally in Melbourne is there because you haven’t got the same challenges as you have in Sydney, for example with geography and geology.”
In a statement, a Victorian government spokesperson said crews were “working around the clock” to finish the project as soon as possible.
“The Metro Tunnel remains on track to open in 2025 – a year ahead of schedule,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re entering a complex phase of testing inside the tunnels and it’s critical we take the time to get it right to ensure the Metro Tunnel is safe and reliable before we start passenger services.”
