The Metro Tunnel will open to passengers on 30 November – a week earlier than anticipated, with trains stopping at all five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
The long-awaited project will reshape travel across the city, offering faster connections, relieving pressure on the City Loop and giving passengers new ways to move through Melbourne’s busiest precincts.
From early December, 240 extra services a week will run through the tunnel between West Footscray and Westall, alongside extended weekend services reaching Sunbury and East Pakenham. In a landmark move to encourage locals to explore the new network, all weekend public transport will be free until 1 February 2026.
These services will operate in addition to the existing timetable, giving passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines the option to use either the City Loop or the Metro Tunnel. A new timetable and broader network changes are slated for early 2026, marking the next phase of the system overhaul.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the opening not only introduces world class stations but also delivers vital new connections. “They represent vital connections for Victorians to go to work, to connect to universities, to go and visit people in hospitals, or indeed, work there as a nurse or as a cleaner,” she said.
“Importantly, this tunnel and these stations represent jobs and opportunities and connections. They represent the future of our great city and state.”
Weekday services through the Metro Tunnel will run every 20 minutes between Westall and West Footscray from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. On weekends, trains will run every 20 minutes on the same stretch from around 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Services will also operate every 40 minutes from East Pakenham and every 60 minutes from Sunbury.
