Five new stations now live under Melbourne CBD

After more than a decade of construction, Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel has officially opened – marking the biggest transformation to the city’s public transport system in 40 years.

Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams joined passengers on the first-ever timetabled service through the tunnel on Sunday morning, celebrating the milestone alongside thousands of Victorians.

The Metro Tunnel doubles the size of Melbourne’s underground rail network, delivering five new state-of-the-art stations – Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac – and connecting the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines via a new 97-kilometre route beneath the city.

“This project is about fairness,” Premier Allan said.

“It means getting to work, uni and home faster – saving you more time, wherever you live.”

The first train to enter the new tunnel departed Sunbury at 10:04am, with another from East Pakenham converging beneath the city at Town Hall Station just moments later.

High-capacity signalling and the removal of every level crossing along the key corridors has unlocked faster, more frequent services. The Summer Start timetable also kicks off today, adding over 240 weekly services on the connected lines.

To mark the occasion, travel across the network is free every weekend until 1 February.

From that date, the “Big Switch” will fully integrate the Metro Tunnel into the network. Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will run exclusively through the tunnel, while Frankston line services return to the City Loop.

Since the project was announced, more than 7,000 workers have helped deliver the mega build – carving 1.8 million cubic metres of rock, laying 40km of track and pouring 754,000 cubic metres of concrete.

“Today belongs to the thousands of Victorians who built the Metro Tunnel – without you, none of this would be possible,” Premier Allan said.