After a month-long construction blitz, major works on the extension of the Hurstbridge Line rail tunnel between Grimshaw Street and Elder Street in Watsonia have wrapped up, with trains reopening to passengers and marking a significant milestone for the $15.8 billion North East Link project.

The newly extended tunnel now runs almost half a kilometre beneath Watsonia, making it the third longest rail tunnel in metropolitan Melbourne, behind only the City Loop and the new Metro Tunnel. The project has also delivered a rebuilt and widened Grimshaw Street Bridge, with crews working around the clock over the past 30 days to get trains running again.

Above ground, drivers are already experiencing improvements as new lanes have opened along the M80 Ring Road and Greensborough Bypass, with the M80 Interchange beginning to take shape. Once complete, the Ring Road will remove an estimated 19,000 cars and trucks from Greensborough Road every day, easing congestion and creating safer, faster trips across the region.

This tunnel project forms part of a broader overhaul of the corridor between Heidelberg and Eltham, modernising tracks, gantries, wires and signalling to replace decades-old infrastructure and improve reliability along a five-kilometre stretch of the Hurstbridge Line.

The works are a crucial component of the wider North East Link project, the state's biggest road initiative, currently employing more than 8,000 workers and set to support over 12,000 jobs once complete. The broader overhaul also included the Hurstbridge Line duplication, which delivered two brand-new stations at Greensborough and Montmorency, plus 40 extra weekly train services.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King called the tunnel progress "great news for locals", thanking passengers for their patience during the works. Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams added that upgrading ageing rail infrastructure will mean "more trains, more often" while simultaneously easing road congestion.

Once the North East Link tunnels, M80 Ring Road completion and Eastern Freeway upgrades are all wrapped up in 2028, Melburnians can expect travel times slashed by up to 35 minutes and around 15,000 fewer trucks on local roads.

For now, with trains back on track and traffic beginning to ease, travelling through Melbourne's north-east is already becoming more efficient, delivering tangible benefits to commuters and motorists alike.

Source: Time Out Melbourne