Metro Tunnel Project frequently asked questions

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About the Metro Tunnel Project
Metro Tunnel Project frequently asked questions

The Metro Tunnel is the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network since the City Loop opened in 1982. It includes twin 9km tunnels under Melbourne’s CBD with 5 new underground stations.

The new tunnels will create a new end-to-end train line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the southeast and connect the rail network to Parkville and St Kilda Road for the first time.

It is the first step towards a metro-style rail network with 'turn up and go' train services similar to major cities such as London, New York and Singapore.

The Metro Tunnel will open in 2025, a year ahead of schedule.

A map showing the planned stations and route of of the Metro Tunnel

The Metro Tunnel Project includes 5 new underground train stations:

Arden – at the centre of North Melbourne’s major urban development precinct.
Parkville – on Grattan Street, near major hospitals and the University of Melbourne.
Anzac – on St Kilda Road near the Shrine of Remembrance.
State Library – at the northern end of Swanston Street, directly connected to Melbourne Central Station.
Town Hall – at the southern end of Swanston Street, directly connected to Flinders Street Station.

The stations will better connect people to Melbourne’s key employment, education, healthcare, retail and residential precincts and allow for easy transfers to City Loop services.

The Metro Tunnel will take pressure off our public transport network and provide greater capacity for Melbourne’s growing population, which is expected to almost double by 2066.

Around half a million more passengers will be able to use Melbourne’s rail network every week during peak times when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.

The project will also boost our growing city’s liveability and connectivity, benefitting all Victorians.

The Metro Tunnel Project, on behalf of the Victorian Government, engaged 2 key contractors to build the Metro Tunnel.

Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP) is the consortium building the twin tunnels and 5 new stations – including John Holland, Lendlease and Bouygues.

Rail Network Alliance (RNA) is the consortium building the station entrances, connections to the Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines, and installing new High-Capacity Signalling – comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors, Alstom, AECOM, Metro Tunnel and Metro Trains.

Find out more about project delivery.

Four tunnel boring machines (TBMs), each weighing more than 1100 tonnes and 120m long, were used to dig the twin 9km tunnels.

The TBMs were fitted with drill-like cutterheads measuring 7.3m across, which could tunnel through rock 6 times harder than concrete.

Find out more about our TBMs.

Team poses in front of TBM Meg for launch

The Metro Tunnel is up to 40m deep, with the deepest point under Swanston Street – at the northern edge of the CBD – where the new tunnels pass under the City Loop tunnels.

The designs for the 5 Metro Tunnel stations were an international collaboration between Australian architects Hassell and London-based firms Weston Williamson and Partners and Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners (RSHP).

Find out more about the station designs.

Victorians helped name the Metro Tunnel’s 5 new stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, and Anzac.

An advisory panel made up of a diverse group of Victorians went through over 50,000 suggestions and compiled a shortlist of names for the Victorian Government to consider.

The names chosen were among the most popular suggestions for each station. All names had to meet the naming rules for places in Victoria.

Accessibility was at the forefront of design for the 5 new Metro Tunnel stations, which will be fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (1992).

Accessibility features at the stations include:

escalators and lifts
customer service counters
customer help points
wide platforms
Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs)
braille and tactile signage
audible announcements
accessible toilets, ambulant cubicles and Changing Places
hearing loops.

Find out more about accessibility in the stations.

Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham Line trains will all run through the Metro Tunnel.

These lines will no longer be running through the City Loop, instead:

city-bound trains on the Sunbury Line will enter the Metro Tunnel after Footscray Station
city-bound trains on the Cranbourne and Pakenham Line will enter the Metro Tunnel after Malvern Station.

All trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will be High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs) once the Metro Tunnel opens.

V/Line trains and freight trains will not turn through the Metro Tunnel.

The Metro Tunnel will use next-generation High-Capacity Signalling to help deliver more trains, more often.

High-Capacity Signalling is different from the existing signalling on the Victorian rail network, which uses lights similar to traffic lights to tell trains when to stop and go.

The new system will allow trains to automatically adjust their speed to maintain a safe distance from each other, while their movements are monitored from high-tech signalling centres in Sunshine and Dandenong.

To find out about jobs on the Metro Tunnel Project contact our team at MetroHub. Send your details to metrohub@metrotunnelcyp-dc.com.au and a member of the team will be in touch.

Find out more about MetroHub.

You can also head to Victoria’s Big Build website to learn about jobs and training opportunities across all Big Build projects, including the Metro Tunnel Project.

Retail spaces at Metro Tunnel’s five new stations are in the process of being rented out. To express your interest in a tenancy, fill out the registration form.

Sustainability has been central to the Metro Tunnel Project, from planning and design through to construction and the future running of the rail line.

The 5 new Metro Tunnel stations will be among the most sustainable railway stations in the world with 6-star Green Star design accreditation from the Green Building Council of Australia.

Our expert teams and construction contractors are always working on innovative ways to reuse materials and reduce impacts on the environment.

Find out more about the Metro Tunnel’s sustainability initiatives and sustainability strategies.

Occasionally we host community open day events at Metro Tunnel stations, however construction and testing are our priority. Any future opportunities to tour the new stations before they opens to the public will be promoted on our website and social media.

Passengers will be able to catch a train to the airport via the Metro Tunnel when Melbourne Airport Rail opens.

Passengers will be able to travel between the CBD and airport in around 30 minutes, with a train every 10 minutes for a turn up and go service.

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