One of Melbourne's busiest destinations - visited by thousands of patients, medical staff and students every day - will soon have its own train station with construction now complete on the second of five Metro Tunnel stations.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minster for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson today announced the completion of major construction at Parkville Station, which will provide Victorians with a seamless connection to Melbourne's world-leading education and health precinct when the Metro Tunnel opens ahead of schedule.
Situated 32 metres below Grattan Street, the new station features entrances directly outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The University of Melbourne, along with a pedestrian underpass beneath the busy Royal Parade - creating easy, safe connections for passengers.
Parkville Station features a 54-metre-long steel and glass canopy filling the concourse with natural light - while outside, a new level-access tram stop on Royal Parade is ready to connect people between trams and trains.
Over the past six years, hundreds of workers have built the station and the four station entrances, and installed 16 escalators, seven lifts and Victorian-first platform screen doors.
The station's landmark artwork Vernal Glade, by internationally acclaimed Melbourne artist Patricia Piccinini, has pride of place inside the main entrance - creating an iconic space Victorians can be proud of for generations.
With the Metro Tunnel on track to open a year ahead of schedule in 2025, the Allan Labor Government invested more than $233 million in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 to prepare staff, systems, infrastructure, customer information - and more - for the tunnel's opening.
This investment also includes standing up specialised 'hypercare' response teams on the ground from day one to ensure the Metro Tunnel runs smoothly for commuters from the moment it opens.
Crews are making excellent progress on train testing through the tunnels, with test trains travelling around 18,000 kilometres so far - longer than the distance between Melbourne and London.
The Metro Tunnel will create an end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in Melbourne's north-west to Cranbourne and Pakenham in the south-east, while freeing up space in the City Loop and connecting all Victorians to jobs, healthcare and education.
The Liberals called the Metro Tunnel a "hoax" and claimed it was all "smoke and mirrors" with "lots of words but nothing…happening." In 2017, they even tried to block the project in Parliament - yet in 2023, they said the Metro Tunnel was a "good" project that had "always experienced full-throated, bipartisan support from the Liberal Party."
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"We are two down and three to go on the Metro Tunnel stations - and we're another step closer to transforming Melbourne forever."
As stated by Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson
"This year's Budget investment will get the Metro Tunnel ready for kick-off - delivering the staff, station infrastructure and customer information on the ground to support day one and beyond."
