The final underground station in the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project is now complete, the Victorian government has announced.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams visited the newly completed State Library Station - the last of the five Metro Tunnel stations to be finished, following Arden, Parkville, Town Hall and Anzac stations.
Designed by Hassell, Weston Williamson and Partners, and Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, the new stations will link Footscray and Malvern, connecting the Sunbury Line to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
According to the state government, State Library Station is the deepest and most complex station ever built beneath Melbourne's CBD. Located 42 metres below Swanston Street - deeper than the height of Marvel Stadium - it features platforms that are 220 metres long and 18 metres wide, making them among the widest underground metro platforms in the world.
In a statement, the government highlighted the use of precision keyhole construction, with crews lowering materials and machinery through shafts while traffic continued to flow on streets above.
The station's main entrance, located at the corner of La Trobe and Swanston streets, is framed by 12 columns that are topped with 70-tonne, 18-metre beams, which were lifted into place by a 400-tonne crane. A second entrance opens onto Franklin Street.
A major artwork by Australian artist Danie Mellor, titled Forever, is integrated into the glazing at the main entrance. The work incorporates historical portraits of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women set within contemporary landscape imagery. The historical images were sourced from the archives of the neighbouring State Library Victoria, with support from the library's curatorial team.
The station features 27 escalators, including two at Melbourne Central Station, which it shares a concourse with. The longest escalator stretches 42 metres, making it the longest in Melbourne - 12 metres longer than those at Parliament Station.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the Metro Tunnel project is the biggest transformation of Melbourne's rail network in more than 40 years. "Transferring between State Library and Melbourne Central is one small step for a commuter and one giant leap for Victoria," said Allen.
"The end of major construction means the start of a new era for Melbourne, where you can get to uni, work and retail faster and easier."
Opening dates for the stations are still to be announced.
