MELBOURNE, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Melbourne's new Metro Tunnel opened to passengers for the first time on Sunday following years of construction, marking a major expansion of the city's rail network.
Limited services through the nine-kilometer twin tunnels and five new stations under Melbourne's central business district (CBD) began operating on Sunday morning, with some passengers queuing for hours in order to board the first trains.
The Metro Tunnel doubles the size of Melbourne's underground rail network and represents a significant expansion of the network since the City Loop tunnels opened in 1981.
Announced in 2015, initial construction on the project began in 2017 and tunneling commenced in 2019, with a reported final cost of around 15 billion Australian dollars (about 9.8 billion U.S. dollars).
The new tunnels will directly connect an existing train line servicing the town of Sunbury in Melbourne's outer-northwest to those servicing the outer-southeast suburbs of Cranbourne and Pakenham via the CBD.
By removing those busy lines from the City Loop, the government of the state of Victoria says the Metro Tunnel will ease congestion and deliver over 1,000 additional train services every week when full service begins from February 2026.
Speaking at a press conference in Sunbury on Sunday morning, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan described the tunnel as the project that is needed for Melbourne's future.
"Thousands of Victorians are also tremendously excited to mark this major, significant milestone that will transform Melbourne and Victoria's public transport network," she said.
Trains running on the Melbourne Airport Rail, works on which are due to start in early 2026, will also use the Metro Tunnel. ■