The Metro Tunnel is the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network since the City Loop opened in 1981. It includes twin 9km tunnels under Melbourne’s CBD with 5 new underground stations.
The new tunnels will create an end-to-end train line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne and Pakenham in the southeast and connect the rail network to Parkville and St Kilda Road for the first time.
The Metro Tunnel will be connected to the wider metro rail network with interchanges, including between Flinders Street Station and the new Town Hall Station and between Melbourne Central Station and the new State Library Station.
The Metro Tunnel includes a new High Capacity Signalling system that has been installed through the tunnel and on sections of the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines.
The system allows trains to travel closer together and is the first step towards a metro-style rail network with 'turn up and go' train services.
Upgrades across the network to maximise the benefits of the new tunnel include a new signal control centre in Sunshine, power and track upgrades, platform extensions and more train stabling.
The project has also built new tram stops at Parkville, new bike lanes on St Kilda Road near Anzac Station and a new park at the tunnel’s eastern entrance. Other work will include adding more bike parking spaces and landscaping and revamping the City Square in Melbourne’s CBD.
The Metro Tunnel is on track to open in 2025, a year ahead of schedule.
Three of the 5 Metro Tunnel stations are complete.
Trial operations began in late 2024 and will continue until the Metro Tunnel opens. It will include trialling the many processes and procedures needed to run the new rail line and testing timetabled services with drivers and station staff in a dress rehearsal to ensure everything is ready to open to passengers.
An opening date will be announced once station construction is finished, along with all the necessary testing, training and preparation required to safely run this new part of the rail network.
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, connected to Melbourne Central Station.
- Town Hall – at the southern end of Swanston Street, connected to Flinders Street Station.
The stations will give Victorians better access to universities, hospitals and jobs across Melbourne and allow for easy interchange to City Loop services.
The Metro Tunnel will give all Victorians more ways to move around Melbourne with new connections and more choice.
It will create room for half a million extra passengers every week, future proofing the network as we become Australia’s largest city
It will give passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines a turn-up-and-go service.
By creating a second rail line under the city, the Metro Tunnel will ease congestion in the City Loop for more reliable services on other lines.
The Metro Tunnel is vital step towards future improvements across Melbourne’s rail network.
The Metro Tunnel Project Office is responsible for building the Metro Tunnel, on behalf of the Victorian Government. Our 2 key contractors are:
- Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP), the consortium building the twin tunnels and 5 new stations – including John Holland, Lendlease and Bouygues.
- Rail Network Alliance (RNA), the consortium building the station entrances, connecting 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.
The Metro Tunnel Project’s cost is $13.48b.
This figure does not include extra funding from the project’s major contractor.
The cost of the project has increased by around 23% from its original budget in 2016 due to a number of unexpected factors. including the COVID-19 pandemic. By comparison the cost of construction in Victoria has increased by around 22% since 2021.
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.
The TBMs dug up to 40m below ground level, with the deepest point under Swanston Street, at the northern edge of the CBD, where the new tunnels pass under the City Loop tunnels.
Find out more about our TBMs.
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.
The 5 new Metro Tunnel stations will be accessible and fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (1992).
Accessibility features at the stations include:
- level access platforms
- escalators and lifts
- customer service counters and Customer Help Points
- Tactile Ground Surface Indicators
- braille and tactile signs
- audible announcements and hearing loops
- improved Passenger Information Displays
- accessible toilets, ambulant cubicles and Changing Places
Find out more about accessibility in the stations.
The Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will run via the Metro Tunnel instead of the City Loop, with their own dedicated trains:
- city-bound trains on the Sunbury Line will enter the Metro Tunnel after Footscray Station
- city-bound trains on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will enter the Metro Tunnel after Malvern Station.
All trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will be High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs) when the Metro Tunnel opens.
High Capacity Metro Trains are specifically designed to align with the platform screen doors at Metro Tunnel stations. V/Line trains, freight trains and passenger trains that run on other parts of Melbourne’s metropolitan network will not run through the Metro Tunnel.
Having a dedicated line means disruptions on other parts of the network won’t impact Metro Tunnel services (and vice versa).
The Metro Tunnel will use next-generation High-Capacity Signalling (HCS), that allows trains to run more frequently.
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.
HCS is a new system for the Melbourne rail network, compared to the existing system that uses coloured signals – like traffic lights – to indicate to drivers when it is safe for a train to go.
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.
Many of the retail spaces at Metro Tunnel’s five new stations have already been leased, but there are some spaces still available. 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 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 days at Metro Tunnel stations, however construction and testing are our priority. Any future opportunities to tour the new stations before they open to passengers will be promoted on our website and social media.