Cross River Rail station excavation hits new milestone

A station box excavated at a record-breaking depth of 50 metres beneath Brisbane in Queensland has been completed, as part of the construction of the new Albert Street Station.

The Cross River Rail is a new 10.2-kilometre rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD. Two 5.9-kilometre twin tunnels below the Brisbane River and CBD will be home to four underground stations, Albert Street, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Boggo Road.

The new Albert Street underground station will provide improved public transport to residents, students and workers in the southern end of the city, creating a new hub at the corner of Albert and Mary Streets. A second station access point near Elizabeth Street will provide easy access to the Queen Street Mall.

Over 67,000 people are expected to use the Albert Street Station each weekday by 2036.

The station box for the new Cross River Rail underground station on Albert Street was about 50 metres deep at its lowest point – almost double the previous record of 26 metres set during Queen’s Wharf construction.

Excavation involved the installation of 340 rock anchors and over 1500 bolts, as well as 4500 cubic metres of shotcrete. About 100 workers are involved in excavating the Albert Street station box, with about 250 workers on the Albert Street site in total.

Following excavation, work is underway on permanent building structure works, including drainage, waterproofing and concrete works. When completed, the station building itself will be about 40 metres above ground at roof level.

Acting Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said the milestone is another example of the sheer scale of the Cross River Rail project.