The ambitious infrastructure endeavor, surpassing $13 billion in investment, features the creation of 9 kilometers of twin tunnels beneath Melbourne’s central business district along with the addition of five new subterranean stations. This monumental project is poised to welcome its first passengers this Sunday.

However, a recently highlighted concern emerged regarding a pedestrian underpass linking two key CBD stations. It was disclosed that individuals intending to use the walkway for accessing Melbourne Central shops would incur a cost exceeding $5.

Having been in development for a decade, the Metro Tunnel’s unveiling this weekend is a much-anticipated milestone.

Nevertheless, full accessibility to all station entrances won’t be realized until nearly a year later.

The entrance at Flinders Street Station near the iconic Young and Jacksons is expected to become operational early next year, while the entrance at Federation Square remains a year away from completion.

In honor of the project’s launch, the state government has announced complimentary public transportation on weekends, starting from November 30 through February 1.

From November 30, 240 extra train services will run through the tunnel as the service integrates into the network.

The Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will run exclusively through the new tunnels from February.