Victoria’s largest public transport investment in decades, the Metro Tunnel, officially opened to passengers on 30 November. The new rail connection links the Sunbury line in the west with the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in the southeast, easing congestion and improving access across Melbourne.
The project is expected to create capacity for an additional 500,000 passengers each week, while providing better connections to hospitals, universities and key employment and amenity hubs in the central city.
We’re proud to have played a key role in the delivery of this city-shaping infrastructure as part of the AJM joint venture, alongside Aurecon, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald. We provided technical advisory services to the Victorian Government from the earliest planning stages through to delivery.
Our work on the Metro Tunnel included:
- Developing an urban design framework to complement the new stations and their surrounds.
- Preparing precinct strategy, planning and economic assessments to support the business case, securing State and Federal funding.
- Advising on opportunities for land value capture and development uplift in inner urban and brownfield sites.
- Recommending optimal station exit locations to enhance activity, development potential, streetscape quality and public realm activation.
- Undertaking landscape and visual impact assessments for the Environment Effects Statement process.
- Guiding over-station and adjacent station development approvals.
- Valuing land to support compulsory acquisition through the Victorian Valuer-General process.
The AJM joint venture’s contributions spanned reference design, site investigations, environmental assessments, planning approvals, stakeholder engagement, procurement and delivery advice, and operational readiness support.
Nathan Stribley, Partner at Urbis, said:
“Our role was essential to advising on how precinct development could be integrated with major urban rail investment. The Metro Tunnel will have a profound influence on the future shape of Melbourne and its central city precincts, unlocking opportunities for growth, accessibility and vibrant public spaces that will serve the city for decades to come.”
Rhys Quick, Partner at Urbis, added:
“Our strategic partnership with the Victorian Government and AJM has continued through to today as we now advise on other important city shaping projects like Suburban Rail Loop.”
The Metro Tunnel includes twin nine-kilometre tunnels beneath Melbourne’s CBD and five new underground stations; Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac. Passenger services began on 30 November 2025, with full timetable integration in February 2026, when the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines will run exclusively through the Metro Tunnel, bypassing the City Loop.
This project stands as a testament to long-term collaboration, technical excellence and the power of integrated planning to deliver infrastructure that will benefit generations of Victorians.
