Melbourne's Metro Tunnel will open early on 30 November, delivering hundreds of extra services weekly.
Victorian government’s massive Metro Tunnel project arrives one year ahead of schedule, transforming public transport across the city. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Premier Jacinta Allan and transport ministers yesterday to announce the Metro Tunnel opening date falls within the Summer Start program, which includes free public transport every weekend until 1 February.
Full accreditation from the National Rail Safety Regulator has been granted, kicking off final preparations. Drivers and station staff are being rostered while training continues and shops get fitted out across the five new underground stations.
Metro Tunnel
- What: Metro Tunnel opens with free public transport every weekend
- When: Sunday, 30 November until Sunday, 1 February
- Where: Five new stations – Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac
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This marks the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network in 40 years. Five brand new stations will open their doors, slashing travel times and connecting people to jobs, hospitals, universities and arts precincts. Sitting up to 40 metres below some of Melbourne’s busiest streets, these underground Metro Tunnel stations will become iconic city landmarks.
A decade of work and around 7000 workers has brought the project to life. Since first being announced in 2015, the construction has been massive in scale:
- Carved out 1.8 million cubic metres of rock and soil beneath the CBD
- Built twin nine-kilometre tunnels and laid 40 kilometres of Australian-made track
- Poured 754,000 cubic metres of concrete and installed 157,000 tonnes of steel
High-capacity signalling has been rolled out across the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines, unlocking fast, frequent, turn-up-and-go services. More than 240 extra services will run along these corridors every day, stopping at all five new underground stations.
During Summer Start, services will run through the Metro Tunnel every 20 minutes from 10am to 3pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 7pm on weekends between Westall and West Footscray. Some weekend services will extend to East Pakenham and Sunbury, running alongside existing City Loop services.
Big crowds are expected on opening day, so passengers should plan ahead and allow extra time to enjoy the celebrations.
From 1 February, the Big Switch will fully integrate the Metro Tunnel into the network. Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will run exclusively through the tunnels, supported by a new timetable and more than 1,000 extra weekly services. Frankston line services return to the City Loop on the same day, with new timetables rolling out across buses, trams, regional and metropolitan trains.
Metro Tunnel will free up space in the City Loop to run more trains, more often, on more lines. It doubles the size of Melbourne’s underground rail network and delivers the kind of public transport infrastructure the city needs to keep growing.
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