There has been a lot of discussion in the media and from various action groups about the fact that Domain Station is being done via ‘cut and cover’.  This means there will be a BIG hole outside Botanica for many months.  MMRA have consistently said that it is the most suitable and also the fastest.

I am NOT an engineer and I do not profess to be any sort of expert, but I have been reading information on the UK equivalent project (called Crossrail).  I found an article about Paddington Station particularly interesting as they did that station via ‘cut and cover’ or ‘top down’.  The full story is here, but this extract caught my eye.

“Two factors drove the decision to construct the main station box using top down methods. First, top down construction is stiffer, with smaller wall movements, minimising damage to the surrounding buildings and utility corridor. Second, the desire to reopen Eastbourne Terrace to traffic as early as possible required the roof slab to be constructed at the front end of the construction programme.”

Sounds a very  familiar story – we certainly want the project to minimise damage and there is a great desire to get St Kilda Rd running again ASAP.

Maybe they have got it right??