Disruptions on Grattan Street will continue throughout 2019 as Parkville Station construction for the Melbourne Metro Tunnel enters its “most exciting year to date.”

Rail Projects Victoria spokesman Joel Dwyer told Farrago the road closures, pedestrian and cyclist diversions around Grattan Street and University Square will remain “largely similar”.

2019 marks the third year of the project’s five-year lifespan, with excavation beginning in March.

According to Rail Projects Victoria, disruptions will not significantly interfere with day-to-day student business.

“No dust will be in the air, there’ll be no noise,” with small acoustic sheds built to contain the site, Dwyer said.

Students south of the Grattan Street works expressed concern about the construction temporarily spoiling the area’s amenity and accessibility.

Law student Alex Fielden said the works have not had any significant impact on his day-to-day life on campus. “Timetabling is fine, [there’s] no noise during class,” he said.

However, the developments in University Square have made socialising around the Law School difficult.

“There isn’t anywhere for us to really chill out anymore… University Square was a great place to catch up with friends, lie in the sun and study.”

With the works around University Square, outdoor campus spaces are now lacking, Fielden said.

The Metro Tunnel project is aimed at “getting [Melbourne’s] infrastructure into the 21st century and dealing with Melbourne’s exploding population growth,” according to Dwyer.

However, The Age editor Alex Lavelle, said in an article that the Andrews government is merely “playing catch-up” in its preparations for Melbourne’s population reaching 5 million people this year.

The new railway stations will reduce University commute times by “up to 40 minutes,” with direct rail connections to the CBD.

The design of the Parkville Station was revealed last year, and features glass roofs and walls to “maintain the natural beauty of the Parkville area,” Dwyer said.

New stations as part of the Melbourne Metro project are also being built in North Melbourne, Swanston Street, Collins Street, and the Arts precinct south of Flinders Street.