Melbourne has marked a defining moment in its transport history with the official opening of the $15.5bn Metro Tunnel — the largest overhaul of Victoria’s rail network in four decades.
Excited passengers, rail enthusiasts and families gathered before dawn on Sunday to secure a seat on the first public services running through the five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
A decade after the Andrews government approved the project to ease pressure on the City Loop, the long-awaited tunnel opened to huge crowds at Sunbury and East Pakenham, where the inaugural trains departed for their historic journeys.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams joined commuters at Sunbury Station, greeting the crowd with a cheerful “Happy Metro Tunnel day!” Ms Allan described the opening as a moment of “tremendous pride”, praising the thousands of workers who delivered what she called a generational project that would “transform Melbourne and Victoria’s public transport network”.
By 8.50am, hundreds were queuing with Metro Tunnel flags and special-edition newspapers, hoping to secure one of the 1300 seats on the first high-capacity train. Among them was Adelaide resident Arthur Milner, who flew in specifically for the occasion, and Craig and Fraser Hill from Camberwell, who arrived at 6am after a 4am wake-up to ensure their place at the front of the line.
Excitement also built at East Pakenham Station, where the first service departed at 9.03am, while early visitors explored new city stations that opened to the public hours before the inaugural trains arrived.
