Metro Tunnel will still open late 2025 despite reports of City Loop services diversion: Allan

Premier Jacinta Allan says the Metro Tunnel project will be fully operational by the end of the year, amid reports peak hour services could divert to the City Loop until early next year.

Premier Jacinta Allan has committed to Victoria’s Metro Tunnel project being fully operational by the end of the year, amid reports peak hour services could divert to the City Loop until early next year.

Ms Allan confirmed on Sunday the project’s twin 9km tunnels and five underground stations, however, would be up and running by the end of 2025.

“Yes, the Metro Tunnel will open, the two tunnels and five underground stations will absolutely be open and operational by the end of the year,” she said on Sunday.

The Premier sidestepped questions regarding peak hour services, saying the state government was currently working on “complex” timetabling, which would be made publicly available by the end of the year.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the Metro Tunnel’s two tunnels and five underground stations would be up and running by late 2025 Picture: David Crosling

“The timetable is a really complex piece of work, because not only are we opening twin 9km underground tunnels, but also five new stations,” Ms Allan said.

“We’ve got to plug that into our existing ground fields network, we’ve got to plug the new trains, the new tunnel, and the new signalling into the existing train network, and that’s a big complex task.

“We will release the details of that timetable a little bit closer to the opening of the tunnel and that’s fairly standard when you’re operationalising big rail infrastructure.”

When asked whether 
any services would need to divert to the City Loop, Ms Allan said the Metro Tunnel would be creating “extra space” and offering multiple services their “own loop tunnel”.

“By taking the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines out of the existing City Loop (and) giving them their own loop tunnel through the city, it means we can run more train services on those train lines, more train services to the west… (and) what it means for the rest of the City Loop, is we can run more train services there as well,” the Premier said.

Allan said the timetable would be released closer to the opening of the tunnel. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Metro Tunnel stations, including Parkville, will be operational. Picture: Tony Gough

Opposition leader Brad Battin responded to today’s announcement branding the Allan government as “being more about spin than delivering on projects.”

“This government is totally dishonest when it comes to the Melbourne metro rail,” Mr Battin said.

“What they’ve done now is come out and said they are going to open it this year but we find out the facts that it won’t be during peak time and two stations will most likely be shut.

“When is this government going to come out and be honest with their projects? They are continuously over budget, they are continuously late and it’s Victorians that continue to pay the price.

“How can you say you’re still working on the timetable but it’s going to be fully operational, is the definition of fully operational one train per hour?

“If that’s what they are going to deliver for the Victorian community then it’s about time they come out and tell them.”

Originally published as Metro Tunnel will still open late 2025 despite reports of City Loop services diversion: Allan