Melbourne Metro Set to Open Ahead of Schedule

The Victorian government’s $11 billion Metro Tunnel project is expected to reach completion a year early, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.

The Premier released the contract on Wednesday, which reveals that the Metro Tunnel project, designed to untangle the City Loop, will be completed in 2025.

The $6 billion metro contract was awarded in December 2017 to the Cross Yarra Partnership – a consortium led by Lendlease Engineering, John Holland Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital.

Under the contact, the consortium will begin work this year on main tunnelling works, five underground stations, station fit-out, mechanical and electrical systems and specific maintenance services for the infrastructure delivered by the package and commercial opportunities at the new stations.

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As the largest investment in Melbourne's CBD rail capacity since the City Loop was completed 30 years ago, the metro tunnel will connect passengers to Arden, Parkville and Domain precincts via heavy rail for the first time and provide much-needed relief to the heavily congested Swanston Street / St Kilda Road tram corridor, currently the busiest in the world.

The contract outlines that that tunnels and stations will be complete in September 2024, after an original ‘on track’ commitment for 2025.

“The Metro Tunnel is ahead of schedule, creating thousands of jobs and giving hundreds of apprentices a head start on their careers,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

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“This project will create space to run more trains, more often, right across Melbourne.”

As a 29km rail system from the west of Melborune to the south-east, the Metro Tunnel is expected to enable 39,000 more passengers to use the rail system during each peak period.