MELBOURNE’S METRO TUNNEL TO OPEN IN DECEMBER
On Tuesday 7 October, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced the opening of the Metro Tunnel in early December. The Metro Tunnel project is one of the Government’s signature infrastructure projects, and a key pillar of Victoria’s Big Build.
The Metro Tunnel acts as an alternative to the City Loop, connecting the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines to a new tunnel through Melbourne’s CBD. The tunnel creates five new stations: Anzac, Parkville, Arden, State Library, and Town Hall. This provides commuters with access to new destinations, including Melbourne’s major health and education precinct, and means passengers can travel straight from Sunbury to Cranbourne or Pakenham without changing trains.
The tunnel will begin with the Summer Start program, a staged opening of the tunnel’s services, followed by the Big Switch, which will see the network-wide timetable integration take place. This timeline means that the Metro Tunnel will open one year early.
As a thank you to Victorians for their patience, and to celebrate a milestone in Victoria’s Big Build, passengers on the public transport network will travel for free every weekend from opening day until February 1, 2026.
This is an important step in upgrading Victoria’s infrastructure and will change the way people travel through the CBD. The completion comes in time for the state election, which is taking place in November 2026.
The Summer Start
The Summer Start period will kick off in early December and will see hundreds of weekly services begin to run. Metro Tunnel services will run seven days a week and stop at all five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
- Monday to Friday – services every 20 minutes from 10.00am until 3:00pm between Westall (Cranbourne and Pakenham lines) and West Footscray (Sunbury line)
- Weekends – services every 20 minutes from 10.00am until 7.00pm between Westall and West Footscray, every 40 minutes from East Pakenham, and every 60 minutes from Sunbury.
That means 240 extra services a week for passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines, in addition to the existing services. The timetable will also stay the same on every other line during the Summer Start. Passengers on these lines can change to a Metro Tunnel service at Flinders Street or Melbourne Central without tapping on or off. This will also help test the tunnel’s new technology in real-world settings.
The Big Switch
On Sunday February 1 2026, the entire train network will be overhauled, with the full integration of the Metro Tunnel, and the change to timetables that facilitate 1000 new weekly train services.
All services on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines travel exclusively through the new tunnel. Trains will run at least every 10 minutes between Watergardens and Dandenong stations between 6:00am to 9:00pm through the Metro Tunnel, during the peak, on average every three to four minutes. The Big Switch will also see the return of the Frankston line to the City Loop.
A new timetable will be in place across the Public Transport network including buses, trams, regional, and metropolitan trains. The Government will spend the coming months communicating with passengers to show how they can make the most of their journey plans.
Thank you, Victoria
From the day the Metro Tunnel opens in early December for its Summer Start, public transport in Victoria will be free for everyone, everywhere, every weekend until February 1. Transport gates will open every Saturday and Sunday during the Summer Start period, which begins from the opening of the Metro Tunnel in early December until the Big Switch to the new statewide timetable on February 1, you won’t require a valid ticket or Myki to travel on these days. Free public transport will include bus and tram fares.
This is the Government’s way of saying thank you to all Victorians for their patience and celebrating a major achievement in Victoria’s Big Build, providing critical infrastructure for the growing state.
Further Information
For more information, please contact Hawker Britton’s Director Emma Webster on [email protected]
See the Premier’s media releases below.
Additional Occasional Papers published by Hawker Britton are available here.