Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel opening added five underground stations
The November 2025 launch was followed by a wider timetable change in February 2026.
News report
Melbourne opened its Metro Tunnel to passengers on November 30, 2025, adding five underground stations and twin nine-kilometre rail tunnels. The completed infrastructure connected the Sunbury line with the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines through a new route under the city.
The stations are Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac. Underground pedestrian links connect State Library and Town Hall with Melbourne Central and Flinders Street, while Anzac provides an interchange with trams on St Kilda Road.
The opening began with a summer service pattern rather than an immediate transfer of every relevant train. The project’s official overview records a further milestone on February 1, 2026, when the new timetable put all Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham services through the tunnel.
The distinction shows how a large railway project can enter passenger use before its full operating pattern begins. The tunnels and stations were open in November; the February timetable integrated them more fully into the surrounding network.
The project also introduced platform screen doors and high-capacity signalling. These are features of the completed railway, alongside the new passenger entrances and interchanges. The two-stage start created a period in which passengers could become familiar with the route before the wider change. Together, the November opening and February timetable provide a dated record of both construction delivery and the operational work required to make new infrastructure part of everyday travel.
