All Aboard! Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Pulling Up A Year Ahead Of Schedule

At last, the long-awaited Metro Tunnel is set to open in a mere two weeks, and for all the public transport commuters among us that means 240 extra services being added along Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines.

The Metro Tunnel is set to open on 30 November after more than a decade of planning, introducing five all-new stations including Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac Station

Anzac Station on St Kilda Road will flip a notorious choke point, plugging the Domain precinct straight into the CBD. Dreading the drive home after an event?

A night at the Myer Music Bowl or after-dark projections at the Shrine will be just a quick train ride away.

Over at Arden, the new station anchors an entire suburb imagined from scratch—which means more dining, green space, and activities from the get-go. The transformation comes as the biggest shake-up to the Victorian rail network in 40 years, longer than most of us have been alive!

The state government says the new track and stations will slash travel times—and with free public transport every weekend until 1 February, you can find out for yourself—but you’ll definitely find us joyriding the Cranbourne/Pakenham line.

“The Metro Tunnel sets Victoria up for the future […] taking pressure off the City Loop and paving the way for more trains, more often, right across our network,” Premier Jacinta Allan says.

The biggest shift will be an update to weeknight commutes. The quicker the trip, the more likely you'll be saying yes to the midweek gig, gallery opening, or post-work dinner and drinks in Collingwood.

The bonus? Heading home won’t feel like a gamble with surge pricing—so save your cash for the next round. All aboard, Melburnians, this one’s been a long time coming.

Updates are available online.

Main image credit: Metro Tunnel | Supplied