Restoration work on the historic rail bridge connecting Flinders Street Station and Southern Cross Station has been completed to ensure the bridge is safe and strong for the next 75 years.

For more than 100 years, the bridge – known as the Viaduct – has been a key connection in Melbourne’s transport network, with hundreds of train services running over six sets of tracks every day.

The $17 million project to improve the bridge included repairing and replacing bridge supports from Elizabeth Street to the Melbourne Aquarium, strengthening the bridge’s steel beams as well as sandblasting and repainting the bridge.

Metro Trains CEO Raymond O’Flaherty says, “Careful planning by multiple specialist teams was required to complete these essential works on one of the most iconic parts of Melbourne’s public transport infrastructure.”

More than 35,000 working hours were required to deliver the complex project during the past three years, with careful planning required to complete the complex work without significant disruption to the metropolitan train network.

The project involved over 300 specialists, from engineers to safety experts, to deliver a comprehensive maintenance and renewal program on the Viaduct.

Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll says, “The Flinders Street Viaduct refurbishment has allowed us to maintain a historic piece of Melbourne infrastructure, while continuing to move passengers safely and reliably into the future.”

“The massive package of works carried out over the last three years will ensure this vital link can continue to safely run the hundreds of trains that use it each day.”

As one of the busiest parts of the metropolitan train network, careful planning was essential to deliver the work and minimise disruptions.

Metro Trains crews worked within 50-hour windows over multiple weekends to set up and dismantle special containment structures to safely carry out work – keeping locals safe and minimising noise throughout delivery.

Watch the video of the works below.