The new heart of the CBD: Town Hall Station concourse revealed

Melbourne’s stunning “square under a square” has been revealed, with new images of the Metro Tunnel’s Town Hall Station taking shape directly under the City Square.

The station’s generous 18-metre-wide concourse will be an extension of City Square as a public gathering space, with shops and cafes, free for the public to access without a myki.

The main entrance near Collins St has five escalators leading passengers down into the magnificent two-tiered concourse, reminiscent of grand arrivals halls.

The concourse’s signature feature – eight soaring concrete and steel columns, branching out overhead to support the station roof – has been installed, in a feat of engineering deep below the heart of the CBD.

Despite the incredibly challenging logistics of building a train station up to 35 metres deep below the centre of the city, work is progressing well on the station, with crews continuing to fit out the concourse and platforms.

Rather than opening a massive hole across an entire block on Swanston St – which would have brought this busy part of the city to a standstill – Town Hall Station has been built using deep shafts at either side of the site.

This construction equivalent of keyhole surgery has allowed the project team to bring workers and equipment in and out of site, while Swanston St remained open to trams, cyclists and pedestrians. 

When construction is finished, City Square will be returned to the public as an open space for events and to gather, with landscaping, seating, art and a permanent Smoking Ceremony dish.

Elsewhere around Town Hall Station, works are pressing ahead at Federation Square – with removal of the massive acoustic shed now well under way. 

Sections of Flinders St eastbound and westbound between Elizabeth and Russell streets are closed for major work on these station entrances, with detours in place for drivers.

The state-of-the-art station will be a new gateway to some of Melbourne’s most popular destinations and landmarks including Federation Square, Birrarung Marr, Southbank, St Paul’s Cathedral and Melbourne Town Hall. 

The Metro Tunnel will free up space in the City Loop by creating a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the north-west to Cranbourne and Pakenham in the south-east – via a new tunnel under the city.

With construction on the first three new stations finished last year, work is continuing at pace on the final two stations – Town Hall and State Library.

The Metro Tunnel is the biggest upgrade of Melbourne’s train network since the City Loop opened in 1981 and will transform the way people move around the city. •