Earlier this month, the Victorian government flipped the switch on the long-awaited Metro Tunnel, integrating the $14bn infrastructure project into Melbourne’s public transport network.
On 1 February, the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines moved out of the city loop and began running exclusively through the Metro Tunnel. At the same time, the Frankston line returned to the loop. The changes have been dubbed the “big switch” by the government.
The promise is big: faster, more frequent services thanks to high-capacity signalling, five brand-new stations and rail access to parts of the city that have never had it before. The Victorian government is hoping to match the success of the Sydney metro, which opened in 2024.
But the reality, so far, has been a little messier.
On just the second afternoon peak under the new timetable, an overhead power fault at Armadale left commuters on two trains trapped for hours in the heat before they were eventually evacuated by ladder and walked along the tracks to the closest station. The fault occurred outside the tunnel, but caused delays across the lines.
There’s also been confusion on platforms. Cranbourne-Pakenham passengers have been getting off at Caulfield to transfer to the Frankston line and the loop, leading to overcrowding.
Some of the blame can be placed on mapping apps, which took days to show the connections between the tunnel and loop stations. The real-world experience, the Allan government assured people, would be much smoother.
“We know this is a big adjustment – the biggest change to our transport network in more than 40 years – and we’ve got extra staff on the ground to help people get where they need to go,” the transport infrastructure minister, Gabrielle Williams, says.
Guardian Australia spent a day riding the line this week to see if the Metro Tunnel delivers on its promises.
Caulfield, 9.45am
Arriving on a city-bound Frankston train just before 10am, the first thing I notice is the crowd spilling on to platform 4. It’s unscientific, but it feels like far more people are transferring off the Metro Tunnel line than just those who need to get to the South Yarra, Richmond or Parliament stations – now inaccessible to them via the tunnel.
Signs everywhere urge passengers to stay on the Metro Tunnel and transfer at a station in the city instead (Town Hall to Flinders Street, State Library to Melbourne Central). Judging by the crowds, though, the message is not landing.
In contrast, platform 2 – where I board a train bound for Watergardens via the tunnel – is quiet. About a dozen people get on one of the seven carriages (the Metro Tunnel platforms are big enough to accommodate 10 carriages).
The government says it has increased onboard announcements and made changes to encourage more people to use the loop. It also says numbers are increasing after the “big switch”.
Anzac, 10am
The first of the new stations, Anzac, sits on St Kilda Road, opposite the Shrine of Remembrance. Its green columns and timber canopies are intended to reflect the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens, which is where I head for my first stop.
As a southsider, this part of Melbourne was always awkward to reach by public transport. Now, the journey is smooth and fast – nine minutes from Caulfield, with just one stop at Malvern.
A 10-minute walk up Domain Road brings me to Baker Bleu, where I grab a sourdough croissant ($6.50) and an iced latte ($7) and eat on the edge of the gardens. A quick lap of the Tan follows.
I head back to Anzac station and get on another Watergardens-bound train to my next stop, which I arrive at in just four minutes.
Town Hall, 11.12am
Town Hall, along with State Library, is the most complex of the five new stations, as the twin 9km tunnels had to be constructed underneath the existing City Loop. They were finished last – and it shows.
With the exception of the light-filled City Square exit, the station feels unfinished: lots of blank concrete walls and unopened shops (most are leased), including in the redeveloped but empty Campbell Arcade (which serves as the Flinders Street interchange). The Federation Square exit won’t open until late 2026 – until then, it’s being used to move construction equipment.
Still full of pastry and lacking inspiration, I get back on the train. The next stop is barely a minute away.
State Library, 12.05pm
At 36 metres underground, State Library station features a 42-metre-long escalator – overtaking Parliament’s as the longest in Melbourne. At street level, 12-metre-high columns topped with massive beams reflect the classical architecture of the State Library across the road, which is where I’m heading.
But first I stop to observe Forever, a large-scale artwork by Danie Mellor, based on historic images of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women from the library’s archives. Of all the new station art, this one stops me in my tracks.
At the library, I visit Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations, the new free exhibition that opened on Thursday. It’s deeply affecting: diaries and love letters spanning 200 years. My highlight is an unrequited love letter, discovered hidden behind a painting at the library during cleaning in 2009.
Wishing we still wrote love letters, and hungry again, I detour to HuTong dumpling bar for pan-fried pork dumplings ($19.80), sauteed beans ($20.80) and a Diet Coke ($6) and leave with a full stomach and stains all over my pants (dry cleaning bill tbc).
I walk back to State Library station, this time entering from Franklin Street, directly outside RMIT University. It’s one minute to my next stop.
Parkville, 1.57pm
Parkville station sits 25 metres below the city’s medical and research precinct, connecting 73,000 workers and 55,000 students from the University of Melbourne’s main campus to the train network for the first time. This station feels more established than the previous two: the shops are open and plenty of commuters in scrubs stream past.
I walk a further eight minutes to Hareruya Pantry for a scoop of mikan coconut ice-cream ($6.80), eaten in Lincoln Square. Then I’m back on the train for two minutes to my next stop.
Arden, 2.51pm
The first thing I notice at Arden is the pigeon problem. There is a flock milling about, followed by cleaning staff armed with mops. Lasers have also been installed to deter them.
Outside, Arden’s brick arches are intended to reference North Melbourne’s industrial heritage. They also serve as a “whispering wall” – speak into the bricks on one side and you can be heard clearly on the other.
Unlike the other stations, built around existing bustling infrastructure, it’s quiet here. The surrounding area was initially meant to become a new medical precinct before plans were scrapped due to electromagnetic interference from nearby hospitals . Instead, the government plans to build 20,000 new homes.
My next train is delayed by seven minutes but, unlike the others we’ve caught today, is full: students are beginning to clock off for the day.
Footscray, 3.23pm
Three minutes later and I’m at Footscray station, the sun is shining and I’m ready for a beverage. I head to Mr West, about a three minute walk away, to order a “Met Pale” ($7.50, plus $4.50 to drink in), a hazy pale ale brewed by Hop Nation to mark the tunnel’s opening. The beer is a collaboration between Mr West, Bar Thyme, Good Measure and the Lincoln, venues made easier to bar-hop between thanks to the new train line. The packaging is a nostalgic nod to the old Metcard.
From here, the trains continue through to Sunbury. But I’m heading back to Caulfield on a 5.06pm train – a journey that takes just 26 minutes, half as long as it would previously. All day, I never waited more than four minutes for a train, even off-peak, and I always got a seat. Here’s hoping more people catch on.
• This article was amended on 14 February 2026. An earlier version said Daniel Boyd created the artwork at State Library station; this artwork was created by Danie Mellor. Daniel Boyd created another artwork at Arden station.
