The opening of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel on 30 November 2025 heralded many changes in the centre of the city. It was fun to ride the new train line on the first day and am finally sharing some photos. There were crowds, bands, street performers, photo opportunities, everything felt shiny new and there were new confusing long connecting tunnels to walk.
I was not among the early enthusiastic crowds. My plans of brunch and trains were scuppered by the rain. But I was there on this momentous day. When the first 3 underground stations in Melbourne - the City Loop - was opened 40 years before I was a kid in the country and excited at the idea of travelling in the dark on a train. It was a disappointment when I finally travelled on the loop to have the lights on the whole time. This time I didn't get my hopes so high but it was great to share in the exhilaration at opening 5 new underground stations with the crowds. And did I mention that public transport was free!
The above photo is more exciting than it looks. I had always loved the view of St Paul's Cathedral until the Metro Tunnel works covered it up. Now we have the view of our cathedral back as well as a fine new station entrance in the City Square (bottom left of photo).
State Library Station
The State Library station was my first stop because it is connected to the Melbourne Central (formerly Museum) station where my train arrived from home. The two new CBD stations (Town Hall Station is at the other end of Swanston Street) have tunnels connecting to City Loop stations and have many exits. The State Library station is convenient to RMIT university, the Queen Vic Market, Melbourne Central shopping centre, Queen Vic shopping centre, Emporium shopping centre and, of course, the State Library.
At the corner of Latrobe and Swanston Streets on the side of the station is an amazing large-scale artwork (Forever by Danie Mellor) based on historic images
of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women from the State Library’s archives. This is a reminder that the station is built on First Nations land. I was impressed to see this a couple of months before the opening.
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On the day of the opening I went straight from underground at the Melbourne Central station through the tunnel to the State Library station without going above ground. It was quite exciting to reach the point where the stations connected. Musicians played celebratory music and a performer (not in photo) was hula hooping.
Once I was in the State Library Station, I took the escalators to travel further underground. It was quite aa shock to see the huge crowds coming in the opposite direction. I asked a Metro worker about it and was told that there had been a day that created a backlog of commuters.
The orange archways that soared high above the State Library platform brought to mind a cathedral to technology. They inspired awe in the architectural skill and creativity.
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I had to ask where the platform was because I could not see the train tracks where it would stop. Then I found that the doors only opened when the train arrived so we could step directly onto the train. I had never seen this in Australia. The digital display above the doors even showed how full each carriage was. It all seemed very high tech compared to our other train stations. Though I did miss seeing the light of the train coming down the track.
ANZAC station
Anzac Station is the only station east of the Yarra River. Its green columns and timber canopies are intended to reflect the green heart of the city around the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens and Shrine of Remembrance, with a slightly longer walk to the grassy expanses of Kings Domain, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and Albert Park.
The station is in the middle of the St Kilda Road which is one of the grand boulevards of Melbourne, albeit a boulevard of modern office buildings these days. Its large canopy along the major tram interchange brings a new iconic building to this busy city thoroughfare. It's long canopy is called a 'timber potato chip' by the Age Newspaper.
Underground it was not so impressive with the platform dominated by large low orange lights (similar to Parkville and Arden) but the colourful abstract mural (Future Wall Painting by Raafat Ishtak) on the concourse caught my eye. It can be seen in the above photo. I rushed to exit the station and back onto the next train; they were only coming every 20 minutes. If you look at the Community Art page on the Big Build website you can see other artworks at ANZAC station that I will look out for next time.
Parkville Station
The Parkville station is in the university and hospital precinct. Three station exits surround the intersection of Grattan Street and Royal Parade (with a fourth up Grattan St near the university). On the four corners are the towering buildings of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne Medical Building, the Doherty Institute for Infectious and Immunity and the Peter MaCallum Cancer Centre. Nearby is also the Royal Women's Hospital, the Royal Children's Hospital, the CSL biotech company and more. There is a lot of medical research and clinical talent in this area.
Now there are these new icons on the corners signs of the new hidden depths of this intersection. When I went to the opening of the new stations I barely stepped out of the train to look at the station and got back in again. This was because I had taken a sneak preview a few days before to see the concourse. That is when I took the photos.
The starring artwork here is Patricia Piccinini’s Vernal Glade. She has drawn on biophilic design (aka a design to connect us to nature) to create the tiles to be calming and reflect the greens of the Australian bush and the reds and yellows of native flowers. It is so amazing to have a work by Piccinini. She is a giant of the Australian art scene and recognised for her talent internationally. (For more about her, check out my post on her Rising Festival exhibition in 2021 that showcased her vision and imagination.)
At the exit to Grattan Street was the most magnificent sight. Patricia Piccinini's calming tiles were on one side, the giant lights by the barriers on the other side, and the escalator in the middle under the glass canopy skylight with the light rippling on the moving metallic stairs. It was so shiny new, so quiet and so beautiful. I know it wont last but it was so wonderful to see the new station in this pristine condition.
Arden Station
Arden stations’s impressive arched brick tunnel is houses in a shiny building with the large friendly hands of Abdul Abdullah's artwork titled Come Together. The arches are intended to reference North Melbourne’s
industrial heritage. The artwork is a tribute to the community spirit, not just of industry but also of the North Melbourne AFL club that used to call home the Arden St Oval just up the road.
The arch has 100,000 Victorian hand laid bricks. It is also described as a 'whispering wall' where you can speak into
the bricks on one side and you can be heard clearly on the other. I must return and try this. It was busy and noisy and friendly on the opening day. I missed the crowds fun and freebies at other stations because I was late but I was glad to join some bonhomie at Arden. There were lots of official people in blue with big blue hands and blue rings with 'First to ride Metro Tunnel' written on them.
That platform had the large orange lights that were also at the Parkville and ANZAC. I was slow to leave as I took it all in. I had plenty of time before the next train took me back to the CBD. So by the time I left, the platform was all but deserted. I went up to look at the tunnel and all the new signage.
By the time the next southbound train arrived, the platform was packed with crowds. The trains were all busy but this one was the busiest. Everyone was crammed into the train to give us a taste of that peak hour feeling.
Town Hall Station
My last metro station of the day was the Town Hall. It is in the heart of the city, with the main entrance at the Town Hall end of the City Square. You can see the canopy in the photo at the top of the post. Above you can see how the entrance has a wonderful view of St Paul's Cathedral that gets better as you travel down the escalators.
I was so disoriented at a new station that I didn't come out the main entrance. I didn't know that it was there. I didn't know that the construction was still underway on the exits to Swanston St near Young and Jacksons pub and Federation Square. I followed the crowd and found myself in Campbell Arcade which links runs under Flinders Street between Flinders St Station and Degraves Street.
I stopped in the arcade to look at the photos and admire how much the arcade has been cleaned up. Then I headed up the steps to Degraves Street where I enjoyed browsing the shops. I realised I was hungry after all that train travel and bought an excellent dubai chocolate cookie.
I walked along Collins Street to the main entrance. It fascinated me to see all the new signage in the streets and how the new stations are changing the landscape of inner Melbourne.
There is a little irony that this build was started in 2017 before the Covid pandemic escalated the move to more working from home. These days there are less people travelling to the city but as the city grows I am sure we will welcome better public transport infrastructure.
I checked out the recently revealed City Square - which is not overly impressive other than the fine new metro canopy - and headed down the main entrance to the trains. Inside the entrance, it is quite starkly grey and concrete. A couple of performers on stilts dressed as insects were just finishing up. It is a large space and would need to a lot of people to make it feel crowded.
I did not see anything in the way of artwork in Town Hall Station. According to the website, we can see a 45 metre long installation by Indigenous artist, Maree Clarke’s called Barerarerungar at the Federation entrance when it is open.
One of the information staff in blue gave me a metro tunnel lollypop. I wasn't interested in eating it but I did take a photo on the platform with the orange cathedral-like arches. There were lots of friendly staff about at all the stations who were very willing to help people find their way on their time in the space.
I walked through the platform and around the tunnels to Flinders Street Station where I got my train home. You can see the much older historic platform in the below photo. But even these platforms that I have stood on so often seemed transformed by the new blue sign directing us to the connection to the Town Hall that opens up more possibilities in the future.
Despite my train line not going through the new tunnels, I am told that diverting some of the trains out of the loop will mean that our trains will run more often, which would be great. In February the trains in the metro tunnel have increased their frequency and there is still more to be done. As well as more Town Hall exits opening, these stations will all develop over time as shops open and maybe there
will be more artwork and posters.
I am so glad that the stations have opened and will make a difference to Melbourne's public transport after years of upheaval around the city streets. I have photos of some of the roadwork and will share some in another post.
By the time I went home I was really tired. All those elevators, tunnels, long platforms and crowds. I spent a lot more time backtracking than usual because I was not clear on the layout. I was really grateful to have the opportunity to join in some of the joy of the new stations opening and see them when they are so newly clean without the day to day scuffs that build up over time. I look forward to seeing it become part of Melbourne.
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