Many made videos on it, including me.
I actually did two; one 'serious', spoken and structured and the other rawer, unspoken and unstructured.
Let's take a look before concluding with thoughts on how to maximise the project's benefits.
Let's take a look before concluding with thoughts on how to maximise the project's benefits.
Watch this first
My first gives a history of not just the Metro Tunnel but also metropolitan rail planning and infrastructure. We essentially went from a versatile, frequent all day and almost metro-style (but still highly radial) network in the 1930s to one that was heavily geared to suburban - CBD commuter trips.
This was reflected in the type of projects and improvements that happened. For example the proposed through-city line from 1929 was like how a Metro would be structured with simple frequent service and a reliance on connections. This didn't get built due to Great Depression and WWII austerity along with the switch to driving and suburbanisation after the war.
Whereas the City Loop (that did get built) was designed and funded when commuter thinking peaked as rail's main role (and the only one that deserved investment). Hence the system was structured to get commuters into the CBD in the morning and out again in the afternoon with no expense spared to offer the opportunity of a one seat ride from all lines. But it made some trips worse with its midday reversal an embarrassment.
Fast forward to now and the City Loop is as much a hindrance as a help for the frequent, versatile and simple all day rail network that modern cities need. So there has been an effort to bypass the loop by (a) creating a cross-city group to form the first cross-city line and (b) build a Metro Tunnel to form a second cross-city line.
The third and fourth cross-city lines are likely to come from (c) the relatively cheap but capacity increasing City Loop Reconfiguration (as proposed by Infrastructure Victoria and others) and (d) the much dearer Metro 2 which proposes to connect the west and north-east.
Essentially we had the right idea regarding rail planning in the 1920s, lost our way 40 years later but got it back again 40 years after that when the Metro Tunnel became an official policy. There were some shaky moments when an alternative scheme ('Melbourne Rail Link') that did not as much benefit the CBD core and Parkville got adopted but luckily that didn't happen.
This was reflected in the type of projects and improvements that happened. For example the proposed through-city line from 1929 was like how a Metro would be structured with simple frequent service and a reliance on connections. This didn't get built due to Great Depression and WWII austerity along with the switch to driving and suburbanisation after the war.
Whereas the City Loop (that did get built) was designed and funded when commuter thinking peaked as rail's main role (and the only one that deserved investment). Hence the system was structured to get commuters into the CBD in the morning and out again in the afternoon with no expense spared to offer the opportunity of a one seat ride from all lines. But it made some trips worse with its midday reversal an embarrassment.
Fast forward to now and the City Loop is as much a hindrance as a help for the frequent, versatile and simple all day rail network that modern cities need. So there has been an effort to bypass the loop by (a) creating a cross-city group to form the first cross-city line and (b) build a Metro Tunnel to form a second cross-city line.
The third and fourth cross-city lines are likely to come from (c) the relatively cheap but capacity increasing City Loop Reconfiguration (as proposed by Infrastructure Victoria and others) and (d) the much dearer Metro 2 which proposes to connect the west and north-east.
Essentially we had the right idea regarding rail planning in the 1920s, lost our way 40 years later but got it back again 40 years after that when the Metro Tunnel became an official policy. There were some shaky moments when an alternative scheme ('Melbourne Rail Link') that did not as much benefit the CBD core and Parkville got adopted but luckily that didn't happen.
The political accommodation reached was to build the Metro Tunnel deep to minimise construction disruption (but increase costs). This adds walking time from the surface compared to if it was shallower.
But it does mean that if you want to maximise Metro Tunnel benefits and permit tram reform (for further gains) then the service must be run very frequently all day. That means every 5 minutes in at least its core rather than the 10 minutes chosen.
For the Metro Tunnel to form part of a coherent network the other lines it connects to need to run every 10 minutes or better out to about 30km from the CBD with branches never worse than 20 minutes from early morning to late at night. Buses also need to be much better for those not near a station.
Because to date this government hasn't been very strong on metropolitan service uplifts the rest of the rail and bus network is a long way from this, with gaps of 30 and 40 minutes still widespread. Some improvements are planned for 2026 but they're not enough by themselves as you can see animated below (as maximum waits early morning to midnight across the week).
But it does mean that if you want to maximise Metro Tunnel benefits and permit tram reform (for further gains) then the service must be run very frequently all day. That means every 5 minutes in at least its core rather than the 10 minutes chosen.
For the Metro Tunnel to form part of a coherent network the other lines it connects to need to run every 10 minutes or better out to about 30km from the CBD with branches never worse than 20 minutes from early morning to late at night. Buses also need to be much better for those not near a station.
Because to date this government hasn't been very strong on metropolitan service uplifts the rest of the rail and bus network is a long way from this, with gaps of 30 and 40 minutes still widespread. Some improvements are planned for 2026 but they're not enough by themselves as you can see animated below (as maximum waits early morning to midnight across the week).
Watch for first day colour and emotion
A look at the first day of the 'Summer Start', Sunday November 30, 2025. The video starts at Sunbury, boarding the first train to enter the Metro Tunnel. You can feel the enthusiasm and get an insight into gunzel culture at probably the biggest ever gathering of rail fans on the one day. You can also see the insides of station at Parkville, State Library and Town Hall.
Videos from others
Here are some of the best of the many videos others have made about the Metro Tunnel.
Summary
The Metro Tunnel will be a great thing for Melbourne.
The Metro Tunnel will be a great thing for Melbourne.
The priority must now be to maximise its benefits across all areas and honour the work many have done over the better part of two decades.
This requires a 4 point better service plan as follows:
* 20 minute maximum waits on the entire Melbourne rail network from early morning to midnight 7 days a week (including Melton and Geelong V/Line) to provide a basic 'safety net' level of service. Needing only a small percent more extra train trips per week, this is super cheap and should be done ASAP to remove existing 30, 40 and even 70 min gaps.
* 10 minute all week frequencies at most Metro stations to cut connection times further. Needs a staged plan, likely starting with Ringwood and Craigieburn.
* Major bus service upgrades to provide a simpler more frequent 7 day network. Largely weekend boosts to existing popular routes with some network simplification to improve directness and frequency.
* 5 minute all week frequencies for the Metro Tunnel core to enable cascading CBD area tram network reform including some desirable extensions for Arden, Anzac and North Melbourne.
The above are highly cost-effective in terms of the size and distribution of benefits provided. And they are essential to make the construction disruptions we've had over the last decade truly worth it.
* 20 minute maximum waits on the entire Melbourne rail network from early morning to midnight 7 days a week (including Melton and Geelong V/Line) to provide a basic 'safety net' level of service. Needing only a small percent more extra train trips per week, this is super cheap and should be done ASAP to remove existing 30, 40 and even 70 min gaps.
* 10 minute all week frequencies at most Metro stations to cut connection times further. Needs a staged plan, likely starting with Ringwood and Craigieburn.
* Major bus service upgrades to provide a simpler more frequent 7 day network. Largely weekend boosts to existing popular routes with some network simplification to improve directness and frequency.
* 5 minute all week frequencies for the Metro Tunnel core to enable cascading CBD area tram network reform including some desirable extensions for Arden, Anzac and North Melbourne.
The above are highly cost-effective in terms of the size and distribution of benefits provided. And they are essential to make the construction disruptions we've had over the last decade truly worth it.
