Over 70,000 passengers travelled through Victoria's new Metro Tunnel on its opening day over the weekend.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams announced the milestone following Sunday’s launch of the five new underground stations. Representing the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s public transport system in four decades, the Metro Tunnel has doubled the size of the city’s underground rail network.
More than 1100 customer service staff were deployed across the stations as 54 trains travelled 486 kilometres through the tunnel. State Library station proved most popular with over 22,000 passengers, followed by Town Hall with more than 16,000, Anzac with around 13,000, Parkville with approximately 12,000 and Arden with more than 8,000.
Metro Tunnel
- State Library Station, Town Hall Station, Anzac Station, Parkville Station, Arden Station
- Now open with free weekend travel until Sunday, 1 February
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Summer Start timetable changes for the Metro Tunnel have introduced 240 additional weekly services along the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines. This testing phase allows crews to identify and resolve issues before the full network integration on 1 February, which will deliver an additional 1,000 weekly services across the system.
Free weekend travel continues until 1 February as part of the opening celebrations. Passengers can plan their Metro Tunnel journeys and check timetables through the PTV website.
Victorian government funding delivered the project after federal opposition declined to contribute. Construction faced various political challenges throughout its development, but the infrastructure is now operational and serving commuters across Melbourne’s northern, western and southeastern suburbs.
New cross-city connections mean passengers can travel between previously disconnected lines without changing at the City Loop. University students, healthcare workers and office employees travelling to Parkville institutions benefit from direct access, while southeastern suburbs gain faster routes into the CBD through the tunnel’s dedicated tracks.
Testing will continue throughout summer as the system prepares for full integration into Melbourne’s broader rail network early next year.
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