Sunbury train commuters can expect to soon use the upgraded Sunbury Line, with the Metro Tunnel Project tracking along for completion at the end of this year.
The Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham train lines will connect through nine-kilometre twin tunnels and five new stations, aiming to simplify travel and increase the number of trains and passenger capacity on these services.
The five new stations will be Arden Station in North Melbourne; Parkville Station next to Melbourne University; State Library and Town Hall Stations in the CBD; and Anzac Station under St Kilda Road near the Shrine of Remembrance.
In a tour of Parkville Station, project representatives explained that the main entrance on Grattan Street and three others will allow commuters to easily access Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital – and be a short walk from the Royal Women’s Hospital – with the underground station also acting as a pedestrian underpass below Royal Parade.
This station’s features also include platform screen doors that create a barrier between trains and passengers until opened for entry and exit, retail and hospitality spaces, and a series of artworks – including native animal artwork embedded in the platform and created by First Nations artist and curator Maree Clarke.
The Metro Tunnel Project executive project director Ben Ryan said the tunnel will improve access to new parts of Melbourne.
“If you’re a student at the University of Melbourne or a hospital worker, you’ll be able to catch a train directly to Parkville … if you’re going to the Grand Prix or the Shrine on Anzac Day, you’ll be able to catch a train to Anzac Station,” Mr Ryan said.
“The Metro Tunnel will also be connected to the existing rail network, so it will be easy to change between Town Hall and Flinders Street or State Library and Melbourne Central without touching off and on again,” he said.
Sunbury MP Josh Bull said that the project is the “biggest upgrade of our rail network in 40 years,” and that Sunbury residents will “reap the benefits for generations to come.”
The Sunbury Line is set to be level crossing-free by the end of this year.
