Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel will open at the end of 2025. Described as the most significant overhaul of the city’s transport network since the City Loop opened in the 1980s, the tunnel has been taking shape beneath the city for the past eight years – with the bill ballooning to $14bn. With an eye on the 2026 state election, the long-serving Victorian Labor government – with its soaring debt of nearly $200bn – is banking on the project to turn its fortunes around. Benita Kolovos, Guardian Australia’s Victoria state reporter, visits the city’s latest train stations
