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How long does it take to travel between stations?
By Gemma Grant and Patrick Hatch
There are dedicated walkways between Town Hall and Flinders Street, as well as State Library and Melbourne Central.
Metro Tunnel precinct guides estimate the transfer times at both of these sets of stations to be between four and five minutes.
The connecting tunnel between Town Hall station and Flinders Street Station.Credit: Justin McManus
We put out walking shoes on, and tested the two transfer times — platform to platform.
Starting from platform six at Flinders Street Station all the way to the glass doors of Town Hall station timed in at five minutes and 13 seconds. This is slightly longer than expected. And it could be even longer if you had to walk to a further platform or carriage.
Meanwhile, from Town Hall to Melbourne Central it took five minutes 55 seconds. That was starting at the furthest carriage from the escalators at Town Hall, and going to platform four at Melbourne Central – so, the furthest distance you would have to traverse.
That is about a minute longer than the four to five minutes advised by the state government. Not a big deal – unless you’re wanting to transfer between trains and don’t leave enough time.
Your say – take three
By Selma Milovanovic
The Metro Tunnel is a popular topic of discussion among our readers. Many have sent in their views. Here are some of the latest contributions:
Tim: Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel may have been built with quality — and perhaps a touch of over‑expense — but it marks the city’s coming of age. It transforms Melbourne into an adult city, one with the kind of infrastructure that reshapes how people move and live. The benefits will ripple far beyond the tunnel itself: easing pressure on St Kilda Road trams, opening direct heavy‑rail access to Parkville and Carlton for the first time since the 1950s, and stitching together parts of the city that have long been disconnected. Now the challenge is to keep the momentum. The Suburban Rail Loop and other bold rail projects must follow if Melbourne is to truly stand among the world’s great cities.
Ono the escalators at State Library station.Credit: Justin McManus
Kui: Fantastic and impressive. I enjoyed the ride.
Derek: Brilliant! But don’t forget that without the level crossing removals, it would not bd as efficient so bravo to the Level-crossing removal project.
Sabastian: What about the commuters who travel to work on the Sunbury line through the old City Loop, who need to get off at Flagstaff and Parliament? I don’t find it convenient at all having to get off at Footscray, change platforms to the Werribee line for a train through the old loop. Some of us aren’t happy about that.
Brod: Take a cut lunch and thermos if entering via Town Hall to reach platforms and allow five-six minutes from top to platforms. Impressive addition to rail system. Town Hall station huge and connects well with Flinders Street. No pigeons or seagulls spotted at platforms. State opposition may whinge about cost and time blowouts, but successful projects sprout from an existing great project (1985 loop).
‘Two months?’: An eight-year-old’s estimate for the build
By Gemma Grant
Teddy Nethersole has a pupil-free day at school and is touring the new Metro Tunnel stations today with grandma Martina Kooloos.
The eight-year-old was very optimistic about the timeline of a major public infrastructure project. He estimated the tunnel took about two months to build.
Teddy Nethersole at State Library station with grandmother Martina Kooloos.Credit: Justin McManus
“I explained that they started building it around the time he was born,” Kooloos says.
Teddy is a big fan of the orange arches at Town Hall station, as well as the glass doors on the platform.
“It’s so people don’t walk onto the tracks … they open automatically when trains come,” he explains.
The pair are meeting Teddy’s dad in the city for lunch, before hopping on the train and visiting the four other new stations.
Your say – take two
More readers have written in with their views of the Metro Tunnel.
Here is what they think of Melbourne’s biggest rail upgrade in 40 years.
Richard: $5billion over budget and late – that’s what all Victorians should think of it. It’s our money.
Marg: It looks fantastic. I can’t wait to ride in it. I’d like to congratulate and thank Dan Andrews for his vision for Victoria and his determination to make it happen.
Brendan: The Metro Tunnel is a game-changing project for Melbourne, showing what is possible when governments invest in quality public transport.
On the way to catch the train at Anzac station.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Each station shows care about not only wayfaring, but also little details in the design; it was really cool to travel between Town Hall and Flinders Street stations in the underpass, avoiding all of the traffic and hubbub above ground, as well as between State Library and Melbourne Central stations.
I’m hoping that the success of the Metro Tunnel will spur the government to push on with much-needed projects such as Melton and Wyndham Vale electrification and Melbourne Metro 2 because our city sorely needs them.
Simon: The Metro Tunnel is fantastic and hugely needed for building capacity in the network. I’m sad that little is being done with Metro Tunnel 2, which would help connect the north-east with the south-west, but visiting the new stations yesterday I’m happy to see public infrastructure being improved.
Opinion: Spectacular, but hold on to your timetable
By Cara Waters
Melbourne’s new Metro Tunnel has been called “the biggest transformation of our rail network in 40 years”, but don’t throw away your train timetable just yet.
The opening of the $15 billion underground train line on Sunday deserves celebration as the first piece of major public transport infrastructure the city has had in decades, but it won’t be a game changer without more frequent services and continued investment.
The opening of the Metro Tunnel attracted many excited passengers.Credit: Chris Hopkins, Simon Schluter, Gemma Grant, Getty Images
For Melburnians accustomed to our somewhat scruffy and worn-out train system, all this shiny newness is exhilarating.
However, Premier Jacinta Allan’s promise of a metro train system in which you can just “turn up and go” in a similar style to London’s Tube or Paris’ Metro seems a long way off.
Tunnel trespassing referred to police
By Cassandra Morgan
As we reported earlier, Premier Jacinta Allan condemned Fire Rescue Victoria members for the “potentially deadly” act of trespassing into the live rail zone yesterday.
Fire Rescue Victoria later said it couldn’t comment as “the investigation into this incident is ongoing”, and Victoria Police directed this masthead’s questions back to Metro Trains.
Metro did not say it was Fire Rescue Victoria members who trespassed, but confirmed an alarm was triggered about 11.30am yesterday because of trespassers near Hawksburn station.
The train network’s security team removed the trespassers, and services resumed at 11.41am, Metro confirmed.
Metro said the matter was referred to Victoria Police and Fire Rescue Victoria for further investigation.
Decades later, this opening is ‘much better’
By Gemma Grant and Patrick Hatch
Fran La Fontaine and Richard Gogerly were both university students when the City Loop opened in the 1980s. Now they’re at Town Hall station to experience a similar sort of opening.
But as La Fontaine says: “It’s much better … it’s got a real nice airport sort of vibe.”
Fran La Fontaine and Richard Gogerly at the State Library station.Credit: Justin McManus
The pair aren’t short of comparisons for the new stations.
Gogerly thinks it’s giving “retro sci-fi”. La Fontaine also says elements remind her of the Burnley Tunnel.
Simon Deinhardt, meanwhile, is waiting to catch his first Metro Tunnel service because it’s now the quickest way to visit friends in Footscray.
Deinhardt is from Cologne in Germany, but currently studying a bachelor’s degree in Melbourne. So how does the tunnel compare to the famous Deutsche Bahn?
Simon Deinhardt at the State Library station. Credit: Justin McManus
“This one feels like it is made for more people … the amount of space and even the security measures,” Deinhardt says. Having only arrived six months ago, he is happy to be reaping the rewards of a decade-long project.
“Ten years of planning – I don’t know about that? That took like half a year,” Deinhardt says, tongue firmly in cheek.
At Anzac station, it’s still mostly sight-seers rather than commuters.
John Cahir meets up with a group of fellow ex-Bureau of Meteorology colleagues every Monday for decent walk (about 10 kilometres, usually) somewhere around the city.
John Cahir at Anzac station. Credit: Wayne Taylor
Today, they decided to travel through each of the Metro Tunnel stations, starting at Town Hall.
“We’ll visit the five stations and then walk up to Brunetti’s in Carlton from Arden,” Cahir said.
“It’s fabulous.”
Your say
By Selma Milovanovic
Our readers have written in with their views of the Metro Tunnel. Here is some of what they’ve had to say.
Alex: Love it, should have happened years go.
David: Wish it connected at South Yarra. Big omission.
Jason: I’d think more of it if Upfield line trains were now able to run more frequently.
Alice: I can’t wait to ride it and I think it will benefit generations to come.
Doug: Magnificent.
Interactive: Inside the stations
By Jamie Brown
The State Library station inside the Metro Tunnel shares a concourse with City Loop station Melbourne Central.
The tunnel’s Town Hall station is connected to Flinders Street Station via the Degraves Street subway.
You won’t need to tap off and on again when changing between Metro Tunnel and City Loop stations.
Click through the interactive below to learn more about the features of each Metro Tunnel station.
In pictures: Commuters at Anzac station
Our photographers are capturing images of the second day of travel through the Metro Tunnel.
See the photos below.
Commuters wait for the first train at Anzac station.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Anzac station links St Kilda Road to the rail network for the first time.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Today’s services are running from 10am to 3pm.Credit: Wayne Taylor
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
