The Metro Tunnel opened in January 2025. It added 5 new underground CBD-area stations — Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, Anzac — and reroutes the Sunbury, Cranbourne, and Pakenham lines through a new tunnel. Surrounding suburbs (Parkville, North Melbourne, Domain / South Yarra, Sunbury, Cranbourne, Pakenham) all benefit from one-seat access.
The Metro Tunnel is Melbourne's biggest public-transport project since the City Loop. It opened in January 2025 after a decade of construction.
Five new underground stations: Arden (north of CBD, near North Melbourne and Macaulay), Parkville (under Royal Park), State Library (under Swanston Street), Town Hall (under Collins Street), Anzac (under Domain Park, between South Yarra and Albert Park).
The tunnel reroutes three rail lines — Sunbury, Cranbourne, Pakenham — through the new tunnel instead of the City Loop. That means one-seat access from a much broader suburb set: Sunbury → Watergardens → CBD → Anzac → Caulfield → Cranbourne / Pakenham, all without changing trains.
Suburb-level beneficiaries: Parkville (which previously had no station — now has a fast metro connection to medical-precinct jobs at Royal Melbourne, Royal Women's, Peter Mac, Royal Children's). North Melbourne (Arden station within walking distance of part of the suburb). CBD west (State Library). Domain / South Yarra north (Anzac station).
On the Sunbury / Cranbourne / Pakenham lines, the benefit is reduced trip time and a one-seat ride to the new CBD spine. Sunbury, Watergardens, St Albans, Sunshine, Footscray (toward CBD); Caulfield, Carnegie, Hughesdale, Oakleigh, Clayton, Westall, Springvale, Sandown, Noble Park, Yarraman, Dandenong (toward Cranbourne).
Investor-lens read: Hyperlocal treats Parkville and Arden specifically as stronger-conviction drivers — the ride-quality and time savings are confirmed and immediate. The wider line benefits are positive but already priced into the 2018–2024 capital growth in those corridors.
Click any to read the full per-area page — verdict, prices, schools, investor evidence, and nearest alternatives.
Royal Melbourne, Royal Womens, Peter Mac + Unimelb walk-distance
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