Commuters from the inner-west were among the first passengers to ride the Metro Tunnel when it opened on Sunday morning after nearly a decade of construction.
The first train through the Metro Tunnel from Sunbury entered the tunnel at 10.04am on 30 November, having stopped at stations such as Tottenham, West Footscray and Footscray along the way.
Videos posted to social media showed passengers chanting ‘tunnel, tunnel, tunnel’ as the train approached the entrance near South Kensington station before cheering and clapping when it finally entered.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams were among the passengers on the first service which departed Sunbury at 9.28am.
Ms Allan said the Metro Tunnel was the biggest change to Melbourne’s rail network in 40 years and would benefit commuters right across the city.
“This project is about fairness. It means getting to work, uni and home faster – saving you more time, wherever you live,” she said.
“Today belongs to the thousands of Victorians who have spent the past decade building the Metro Tunnel – without you, none of this would be possible.”
Over summer Metro Tunnel services will run between West Footscray and Westall stations every 20 minutes from 10am to 3pm on weekdays, and from 10am to 7pm on weekends, with some weekend services extending to Sunbury and East Pakenham.
This timetable will continue until 1 February when the so-called ‘Big Switch’ occurs and the tunnel is fully integrated into Melbourne’s rail network, with the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines running exclusively through it.
