Construction delays at two stations on the $14bn Metro Tunnel have raised concerns about the project’s timelines and budget.
Construction delays have hit two of the five new stations being built for the Metro Tunnel, putting fresh pressure on project deadlines and its $14bn budget.
The Town Hall and State Library station teams are racing the clock to be ready for passengers next year, with crews already working 24 hours a day across a number of sites.
But workers supposed to be “demobilising” at the two CBD builds have recently been given contract extensions, with material and workforce shortages blamed for delays.
The Allan government says it is still confident the new line, which will free up capacity across the rail network and reshape CBD travel, will be ready to take passengers next year.
It says the two CBD stations were always going to take the longest to build due to being so deep underground, and point to the fact Arden Station in North Melbourne is already built and stations at Parkville and near the Shrine are nearing completion.
The Metre Tunnel has a $14bn budget. Picture: David Crosling
Despite the delays, Minister Colin Brooks on Monday said the Metro Tunnel “will open” next year.
“They’ve always been complex projects, they’re deep underground in the middle of the CBD,” he said.
“But that Metro line will open in 2025.”
Shadow Transport Minister David Southwick on Monday called on the government to release the full cost details for major projects in the upcoming budget.
“It’s time the government comes clean as to how much these major projects are going to cost Victorians,” he said.
“We don’t want hidden costs. We want a line item of how much the SRL is going to cost, Metro, West Gate Tunnel, Level Crossings – every major project that has blown out.”
However, several industry and project figures said significant problems had emerged at the Town Hall and State Library fit-outs, and it was unclear when they would finish or whether they would meet budgets.
They said there had also been issues testing rail signalling systems — effectively the traffic lights and IT that trains use in the tunnel to keep a safe distance from one another — such as glitches with communication-based train controls and platform overshoots.
Rail industry insiders say such problems were expected as part of testing, however, and would be addressed before real-time operations start late this year.
According to a recent Auditor-General report on major project progress, the tunnel is expected to open between September and December next year.
The tunnel is expected to open between September and December. Picture: David Geraghty
This is earlier than the project’s initial schedule that was to open in 2026.
The same Auditor-General report, which uses information from the Department of Treasury and Finance information and public sector agencies delivering the projects, shows project teams fear the tunnel would run over budget.
The government said the two CBD stations have a depth of between 30 and 40 metres and are in busy parts of the city, which were always likely to present challenges.
But a spokesman said this would not impact the tunnel’s planned opening date.
“We are getting on with building five brand new stations including two deep underground in the heart of the city — there is no doubt this is a challenging project but we’re on track to open the Metro Tunnel in 2025, a year ahead of schedule,” he said.
“Testing is a critical part of this complex project — this is why we’ve made a head start testing trains and systems as we build the stations, to iron out any issues that arise before passenger services begin.”
Source: Herald Sun
