Construction work at one of the sites of Melbourne’s biggest rail project has been shut down after two workers tested positive to COVID, according to media reports.

The Age has reported that the overnight shift at the site where the new Town Hall station is being developed was cancelled after two employees working at the site tested positive for COVID.

Work at other sites is not affected and the site will reopen on Thursday following a deep clean.

The workers have mild symptoms and are isolating at home.

Other workers on the site have been offered a COVID test.

The latest developments come as metropolitan Melbourne has gone into lockdown following a spike in COVID cases.

All up, the total number of coronavirus cases throughout the state stands at 2,824 – 2,469 of which are in Melbourne and 261 of which are in regional Victoria.

Set to cost $11 billion, the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project will create a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the north-west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the south-east with high capacity trains and five new underground stations.

Once complete, the government says the project will create between 15 percent and 71 percent more capacity on various metropolitan rail lines in Melbourne by freeing up capacity within the city loop.