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New tunnel site sets up close to trail

It could be decades before it carries a passenger, but the Suburban Rail Loop is stamping its footprint above ground and beginning works that will disrupt travel.

Riders have endured the Metro Tunnel and the West Gate Tunnel. The North East Link tunnel is preparing to dig, and now the Suburban Rail Loop tunnel is joining the queue as it creeps closer to key bike routes. 

Riders on the Gardiners Creek Trail through Burwood will have noticed worksite fencing in what was Sinnott Street Reserve.

The reserve is the site of the Tunnel Access Structure (TAS), a large vertical shaft which will extend from ground level to the beginning of the planned underground tunnel.

Works involving excavation, piling and installation of steel support beams will be underway from early-September until late 2025, mostly during day-time working hours.

McComas Grove will be used for access, meaning work vehicles should not impact the trail. 

 

Meanwhile works are starting to relocate the 109 tram stop terminus at Box Hill.

The existing tram terminus needs to be relocated ahead of construction to allow for continuous operation of the tram service during construction of the SRL East station in Box Hill.

This will involve the relocation of underground water and sewer, building the new tram tracks and ongoing site establishment works.

The terminus precinct in Whitehorse Road is a bike-hostile environment at the best of times, so those who must use the streets around central Box Hill will need to remain watchful.

Long-term westbound lane closures of Whitehorse Road between Nelson Road and Station Street in Box Hill will occur from mid-August to September, from 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 7am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday. There will be intermittent eastbound lane closures between Nelson Road and Station Street.

Whitehorse Road westbound road will close between Nelson Road and Station Street from mid-August to September, from 9pm to 5am on intermittent nights, excluding Friday and Saturday nights, There will also be intermittent diversions of the pedestrian median.

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