The Metro Tunnel is open to the public, marking a historic moment for Melbourne.
Passengers can now catch a train through the twin nine-kilometre tunnels and five new stations – Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
The first services departed East Pakenham at 9.03am and Sunbury at 9.28am on Sunday November 30, arriving a minute apart at Town Hall Station in the CBD before continuing their journeys.
More than 70,000 people turned out to ride the Metro Tunnel on its first day of operations, according to Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen.
As part of the “Summer Start”, extra and extended services are running alongside the existing Metro Trains timetable, and passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines can choose between existing services or a Metro Tunnel train.
As of yesterday, public transport will be free for everyone across the state of Victoria on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of January.
On 1 February 2026, the “Big Switch” will introduce a new timetable across buses, trams, regional and metropolitan trains, connecting the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines with all services on the lines running through the Metro Tunnel.
The opening of the Metro Tunnel and five new stations has doubled the size of Melbourne’s underground rail network, providing faster connections and new travel options for Victorians.
Over the course of the project, crews have excavated 1.8 million cubic metres of rock and soil, built twin nine-kilometre tunnels, used 754,000 cubic metres of concrete and 157,000 tonnes of steel and laid 40 kilometres of Australian-made rail.
Since the Metro Tunnel was first announced in 2015, about 7000 jobs have been created, including hundreds for apprentices, cadets and trainees.
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