The Melbourne Metro Rail Project is to receive $1.5 billion in the Victorian state budget to cover design and preliminary works.
Construction work is scheduled to begin in 2018 and this funding will allow the initial planning and reference design process to begin.
The project will involve boring two nine-kilometre rail tunnels beneath the CBD. The system will boost Melbourne’s urban rail capacity, allowing 20,000 additional passengers to use the city’s rail system at peak times.
Early works such as tram rerouting and service relocations will be completed as well as geotechnical studies and land acquisition.
