The southern area of the project – between Park Road, Dutton Park and Buranda stations – includes the southern tunnel portal works as well as reconfiguration of existing rail infrastructure to integrate Cross River Rail into the South East Queensland rail network.
The project’s southern portal merges into one of the more complex areas in the South East Queensland rail network, at the intersection of multiple commuter rail lines and a freight line. In addition, the Eastern Busway and a number of other services and utilities run through the area.
This complexity makes the southern area one of the most technically challenging aspects of our project’s design, and Cross River Rail works closely with Queensland Rail, the Department of Transport and Main Roads and other key stakeholders in this area.
When complete, the southern tunnel portal will be 380 metres in length, inclusive of the open trough leading into the portal mouth and the covered trough leading into the tunnel.
In early October 2020, site establishment works commenced in the area including demolition of existing Queensland Rail buildings and installation of Cross River Rail site offices and facilities. Since then, a range of works have undertaken including realignment of the existing surface rail, relocation of services and utilities, and construction of the tunnel portal and twin tunnels.
Excavators will dig the portal trough at the Southern Area and continue digging from the southern portal to the tunnel which will lead to Boggo Road Station.
Construction of the southern tunnel portal is expected to continue until late 2022.
Fast facts
- 533 piles will be installed for the portal
- approximately 5,000 cubic metres of concrete will be poured for the installation of these piles
- approximately 1,015 lineal metres of concrete will be poured for the capping beams
- 242 precast deck units will be installed as part of the cut and cover portal roof
approximately 12,000 cubic metres of concrete will be used to construct the southern portal
