Victoria Integrates Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham Lines into Melbourne Metro Tunnel Across Five New Stations

Victorian Government Delivers Multi-Billion-Dollar Rail Transformation Beneath Melbourne CBD

MELBOURNE, Victoria — In the most consequential modernization of Victoria's passenger rail infrastructure since the construction of the City Loop in the 1980s, the Victorian Government, Major Transport Infrastructure Authority (MTIA), and Metro Trains Melbourne have completed the network-wide integration of the landmark Metro Tunnel Project. Featuring twin nine-kilometre rail tunnels bored beneath the central business district, the project permanently untangles Melbourne's rail choke points, establishing a continuous, high-capacity underground express spine connecting the city's booming western and southeastern corridors.

Under the full operational timetable, passenger trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham lines run exclusively through the Metro Tunnel, bypassing the congested legacy loop. Commuters now access five brand-new, architecturally stunning underground stations engineered with full-height automated platform screen doors, world-class environmental airflow systems, and intuitive wayfinding: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, and Anzac.

High-Capacity Metro Trains and Direct Connections to World-Class Biomedical Precincts

The Metro Tunnel fundamentally reshapes daily transit connectivity across Melbourne’s key institutional, educational, and employment centers:

• Parkville Medical Hub Access: For the first time in state history, over 50,000 daily doctors, nurses, researchers, and students enjoy direct heavy rail access to the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
• Underground CBD Pedestrian Links: State Library Station connects seamlessly via a subterranean concourse to Melbourne Central, while Town Hall Station links directly to Flinders Street Station beneath Collins and Swanston streets.
• Anzac Station Intermodal Canopy: Located on St Kilda Road opposite the Shrine of Remembrance, Anzac Station features Melbourne's first integrated under-canopy tram-train passenger interchange.
• Next-Generation High-Capacity Fleet: Powered by 65 state-of-the-art, seven-car High-Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs) operating with High-Capacity Signalling (HCS) to permit rapid, turn-up-and-go frequencies.

Unlocking 500,000 Extra Commuter Trips Daily and Catalyzing Urban Regeneration

By freeing up space in the existing City Loop, the Metro Tunnel creates room for over 500,000 additional passengers across Melbourne's rail network every single week, directly benefiting suburban commuters on the Werribee, Frankston, Craigieburn, and Upfield lines. In Arden, the project serves as the anchor for a massive 45-hectare urban renewal precinct projected to accommodate 34,000 jobs and 15,000 residents in sustainable, mid-density housing.

Through visionary civil engineering, synchronized urban planning, and cutting-edge rolling stock deployment, Victoria has delivered a transformative transit asset that will empower Melbourne's sustainable economic and population growth for generations to come.