Work forging ahead at Arden Station

Installing escalators and adding solar panels are just some of the works taking place recently at the Metro Tunnel’s Arden Station as crews work to ready the station for train testing in the tunnels in the second half of 2023.

Arden is the most advanced of the Metro Tunnel’s five new underground stations, with the building’s major structural elements mostly finished and work starting on architectural features.

Work on the station’s massive arched entrance is finished, with concrete panels installed on the facade. Escalators and lifts to the station concourse are now in place and being tested.

At ground level, 16-metre by three-metre skylights have been built and glazing installed. These skylights will allow natural light to flow down to the station concourse.

Inside the station, crews are building internal structures and installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

When it opens in 2025, Arden Station will be the focal point of a massive urban renewal area, which will accommodate thousands of jobs and housing.

North Melbourne Recreation Centre, Arden Street Oval and the route 57 tram will all be within walking distance, creating a sustainable transport hub. The station will link directly to Melbourne Airport in 2029 via Melbourne Airport Rail.

The station entrance will open up onto a major new public square at the heart of the new precinct.

Massive brick arches are a key architectural feature of the Arden Station entrance, reflecting North Melbourne’s rich industrial history and character.

At nearby Parkville Station, work is finished on the crucial underground passenger walkway that stretches 44 metres under Royal Parade, linking the station to major hospitals.

The steel frames for the station’s main Grattan St entrance have been built and will be installed soon above escalators leading down into the station.

Across the 18km of tunnels workers will install almost 50,000 brackets, 15km of elevated steel walkway for emergency and maintenance access, almost 500km of electrical and fibre cables, 16km of pipework to carry fire retardant, and more than 3000 lights.  

Next-generation high-capacity signalling equipment will be installed along the tunnel, enabling more trains more often when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025. •