The Metro Tunnel Project, the biggest-ever public transport infrastructure project in Victoria’s history, is designed to transform the way people move around Melbourne by improving north-south transit while providing access to key destinations.

The scope of the project encompasses twin 9km tunnels and five new underground stations: Arden Station at North Melbourne (near Arden Street), Parkville Station, State Library Station (at the northern end of Swanston Street), Town Hall Station (at the southern end of Swanston Street), and ANZAC Station at the intersection of Domain Road and St Kilda Road.

Metro Tunnel Project

When it opens in 2025, the Metro Tunnel will create a new end-to-end rail line linking Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne and Pakenham in the south-east. With more trains running at greater frequency across Melbourne, the entire project will ensure seamless passenger flow, enabling people to commute to work or study, connect with friends and family, and go for sporting, cultural and community activities. The Metro Tunnel will enable over half a million more passengers to travel across the rail network in peak periods every week.

Collaboration

The CYP Design and Construction Joint Venture (CYP D&C JV) – led by Lendlease Engineering, John Holland and Bouygues Construction Australia – is contracted to design and build the tunnels and stations for the Metro Tunnel Project.

The design for the five stations is a collaboration between leading international design practices Hassell, WW+P Architects and RSHP, together with Maynard for signage, wayfinding and industrial design as part of the CYP joint venture.

The overall concept for the station designs, developed by Hassell, is centred around an ‘Open Metro’, where the public domain integrates seamlessly with the generously proportioned stations through daylight, natural ventilation, clear sightlines and wayfinding, ensuring passengers can see the sky from underground spaces. Landscape architecture and the design and delivery of the surrounding public realm are also part of the project scope, and will focus on improving tree canopy coverage, soil volume, passive irrigation, flood mitigation, vegetated surfaces, and biodiversity.

“Each station is thoughtfully designed to reflect its location and celebrate the joy and efficiency of travel via an experience that is overall authentically Melbourne, recognisable and remembered globally,” says Hassell principal Mark Loughnan.

Station and precinct design

The Metro Tunnel Project aims to reshape entire city precincts to be more responsive to their context and communities, with commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and nature being prioritised in the city’s new streetscapes.

Each station draws on the history and character of its location, featuring materials such as brick, glass, timber and bluestone. The interior spaces of the stations are designed for passengers to navigate easily and transfer between rail lines intuitively. Station entrances and canopies provide shading and ventilation to ensure that internal temperatures are maintained.

Arden Station precinct

Arden Station

Breathing new vigour into North Melbourne, Arden Station will create a sustainable transport hub within walking distance of the North Melbourne Recreation Centre, Arden Street Oval and the route 57 tram. Its bold red brick archway reflects the area’s industrial heritage while creating a distinguished landmark for the new Arden precinct. Arden Station is destined to be the centrepiece of Victoria’s new knowledge and innovation precinct, which is expected to generate up to 34,000 jobs and be home to around 15,000 residents by 2050.

Parkville Station precinct

Parkville Station

For the first time ever, Parkville’s world-class education, research and healthcare hub will be connected into Melbourne’s train network, providing a much-needed metro transit node for thousands of students, patients, workers and other travellers who visit the precinct every day. The station’s glass feature roof will let abundant natural light into the concourse, while generous streetscape design will connect Metro with the many tram, bus, cycling and walking routes.

State Library Station precinct

State Library Station

The new State Library Station connects the northern end of Swanston Street to the CBD, with entrances on La Trobe Street and Franklin Street. Underground, the station will feature wide aisles and sweeping arches that recall the monumental State Library of Victoria above. While the station’s Latrobe Street entrance will echo the gravitas of the library with a large, concrete framed portal, the modest portal entrance on Franklin Street provides convenient access into RMIT for students. About 3,500sqm of new public space will be created, complete with promenades and laneways to transform the area.

Town Hall Station precinct

Town Hall Station

Prominently placed at the southern Swanston Street entrance to the CBD, opposite Flinders Street Station, the new Town Hall metro station will reorient Melbourne’s city centre, with entrances at City Square and Federation Square. The City Square entrance will respect its historic neighbours, while the Federation Square entry forms a key part of the Metro’s simple ‘portal style’ design language. Inside the station, vaulted ceilings soar 10 metres high over 19-metre-wide platforms, making this a landmark of Grand Central scale and stature for Melbourne.

ANZAC Station precinct

ANZAC Station

Designed to integrate with surrounding parklands, ANZAC Station is a ‘pavilion in the park’ that provides a seamless connection above and beneath the Domain precinct. The design-led approach to the station places the ‘main’ entry on the tram platform and introduces underpasses to the Metro concourse from each side of St Kilda Road for safe and seamless commuter transit between tram and train, and into the precinct. A floating timber canopy stands out as a distinctive above-ground architectural feature of ANZAC Station. Large voids and lightwells draw daylight deep into the concourses, improving the transit experience and reducing power usage.

Main image: Town Hall Station City Square

Branko Miletic

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