Eight years in the making

Yes, that's how long it has taken to almost complete the Metro rail tunnel. It will open next year and my local Anzac Station is all but complete. 

A friend who does not blog asked to see some photos as he lives interstate, so I though the best way is to do it here, and the post may interest some of you, although there are many local references you won't understand. 

The tram platform above the concourse. I am just showing these as the hoardings have been removed. 

The terminus for the rerouted 604 bus. It now travels from Elsternwick Station to Anzac Station.

The Domain lift to the concourse.

The Domain entrance to the escalators to carry passengers to the concourse. One escalator only and it was suggested it would carry people upwards but I am not sure. Maybe Melbourne Grammar lads will use this, but few others. 

The platform stops for the rerouted 605 bus.

Live arrival time is updated every two minutes.

I pushed the button but all it told me was the current time. Not fully operational yet. 

Trams cannot run in Domain Road and I hope they never do. For historical reasons the tram once did but the route is now much more direct and sensible (and more useful to me).

The Albert Reserve entrance.

The final touches to the landscape are happening.

A shelter with a public barbeque. 

Pavement water run off will run into the dry ponds to be filtered by plants and then presumably flow to nearby Albert Park Lake. 

Rather nice spoon drains carry the water to the dry ponds.

During construction the Boer War Monument was dismantled and has now been re-erected. 

The Albert Road Reserve lift, with a lower set of doors and a higher set of doors.

The services lift. 

The cycle way and I suppose Displan on the cabinet stands for disaster plan, meaning equipment if there if some kind of disaster at the station.

Plenty of hoops to lock up bicycles.

Left to right, general ventilation shaft, general exhaust shaft, tunnel ventilation shaft used if there is build up of heat, say on a hot day and something has caused trains to stop and remain at the station and there is a build up of heat from the train motors and the air conditioning pumping out heat.

Two chiller plants to cool plant, equipment, the platforms and concourse. Only one will run, with the other being a back up. Under testing and manually overridden, at full power on the hottest day, all plant will emit no more than 60db and at night, no more than 50db. That is not loud. No one likes the design of these but it is a case of function over form and they were designed by one of the top ten world architect companies.