Melbourne’s metro tunnel set to open in early December

Melbourne’s long-awaited Metro Tunnel is set to open in early December, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced. The state government confirmed on Monday that construction of the final two new underground stations has now been completed, marking a major milestone in one of Victoria’s largest infrastructure projects. The Metro Tunnel, designed to ease congestion and improve connectivity across Melbourne’s rail network, will feature five new underground stations—Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, and Anzac—linking the Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines for the first time. Ho

Melbourne’s long-awaited Metro Tunnel is set to open in early December, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced. The state government confirmed on Monday that construction of the final two new underground stations has now been completed, marking a major milestone in one of Victoria’s largest infrastructure projects. The Metro Tunnel, designed to ease congestion and improve connectivity across Melbourne’s rail network, will feature five new underground stations—Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, and Anzac—linking the Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines for the first time. However, the project’s cost has surged significantly, blowing out by hundreds of millions of dollars beyond earlier estimates. The government has not yet specified the final figure but maintains that the benefits of the tunnel—shorter travel times, increased capacity, and reduced bottlenecks in the City Loop—will outweigh the budget overruns. Premier Allan described the project as “a game-changer for Melbourne’s transport system,” adding that testing and final safety checks are underway before the official launch later this year. The Metro Tunnel is expected to open to passengers before Christmas, several months ahead of the original 2025 completion timeline