The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a piece of underground metropolitan rail infrastructure in the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The loop includes four single-track rail tunnels and three underground stations: Flagstaff, Melbourne Central (formerly Museum) and Parliament. The loop connects to Melbourne's two busiest stations, Flinders Street and Southern Cross, and together with the Flinders Street Viaduct forms a ring of four individual tracks around the CBD.
Eleven metropolitan lines of the Melbourne rail network run through the City Loop, organised into four separate groups, the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill/City Circle, and Northern groups. Each group has its own dedicated single-track tunnel, with trains running on balloon loops around the CBD. The Loop follows La Trobe and Spring Streets along the northern and eastern edges of the CBD's street grid.
Although concepts for an underground railway had been raised since the 1920s, planning was not seriously progressed until the 1960s. The 1970 Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Act finalised the design and established an authority to oversee construction of the project. Tunnelling works began in 1972 and the Loop commenced operation in 1981 with the opening of Museum station, now Melbourne Central. The loop was fully complete in 1985 with the opening of Flagstaff station.
The Metro Tunnel, a new rail tunnel under the CBD built to relieve pressure on the City Loop, began operating following a soft-open on 30 November 2025. From 1 February 2026, the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Sunbury metropolitan lines were fully removed from the Loop to full-time through the Metro Tunnel, while the Frankston line returned to the Caulfield loop tunnel. As a result of this, the Sandringham lines will through-run with the Werribee/Williamstown lines.
History
Before the City Loop was constructed, Flinders Street and Spencer Street (now called Southern Cross) stations were connected only by the four track Flinders Street Viaduct beside the Yarra River. The suburban terminus of Flinders Street had become seriously congested by the 1970s, with a throughput of only ten trains per platform per hour (roughly 1,700 trains a day) — compared to a maximum of 24 if there was through running. Many trains were through routed from the southern and eastern suburbs to the north and west, but the flow was imbalanced and a number of trains were required to reverse their direction. The 1940 Victorian Railways Ashworth Improvement Plan recommended a different approach, with additional platforms at the Flinders Street/Princes Bridge station complex to be built over two levels, along with a connection to an underground City Railway. The Victorian Railways promoted another route in 1950 as part of the Operation Phoenix rehabilitation plan, the line running from Richmond towards Jolimont station, under the Fitzroy Gardens and Lonsdale Street then turning north to North Melbourne station. A branch line turned north from William Street, and went through the Flagstaff Gardens. In 1954 the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works released their Planning Scheme for Melbourne report, which included the Richmond – North Melbourne Lonsdale Street route. The plan included four stations, being cut to the present three by the elimination of one under Latrobe Street.
Construction
thumb|Construction of Museum station in July 1974, showing cut and cover excavation of [[La Trobe Street, with the State Library of Victoria in the background.|alt=Construction of Museum station in July 1974, showing cut and cover excavation of La Trobe Street, with the State Library of Victoria in the background.]]
Following the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan, the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Act 1970 was introduced into parliament by Transport Minister Vernon Wilcox, and the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority (MURLA) was created on 1 January 1971 to oversee the construction and operation of the loop. The City of Melbourne, the Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works and the Victorian Railways all made annual contributions to support the operating costs of the authority.
thumb|Construction of Museum station in July 1974 looking towards [[Coop's Shot Tower.|alt=Construction of Museum station in July 1974 looking towards Coop's Shot Tower.]]
Tunnelling works under the city streets commenced in June 1972, using a tunnel boring machine built by Richmond engineering firm Jaques Limited. as well as conventional boring methods. At North Melbourne, Spencer Street and Jolimont Yard, cut and cover tunnelling was used to build the access ramps, with the above ground running lines being slewed from time to time as work proceeded. The first completed tunnel was the Burnley Loop, with the final breakthrough made on 8 June 1977 near the Museum station site.
A "double sleeper" floating track system was used to solve the problem of ground-transmitted vibration and track noise, and the loop has some of the best-designed and quietest underground stations in the world.
Traction power was turned on in October 1980, and the first test train ran on 4 December 1980. In 1965, the cost of the project had been estimated at between £30 and £35 million but, by 1975, inflation had resulted in it rising to $255,600,000. Two short documentary films, Loop and Action Loop, were commissioned by the MURLA to advertise the new railway to Melburnians, as well as abroad. The City Circle tunnel opened with special services on 6 December 1981, and Clifton Hill services started using the loop on 31 October 1982. Parliament station opened on 22 January 1983, the Northern tunnel on 7 January 1985 (14 January 1985 with limited services) and Flagstaff station on 27 May 1985. As part of that, signalling infrastructure was altered and operations of the Caulfield loop were changed to run consistently anti-clockwise around the loop all-day, every day.
In January 2023, the City Loop and its three stations were closed for two weeks to allow for major safety upgrades to the stations and tunnels. The works will upgrade smoke detection systems, extraction systems, fire detection, fire hydrants, CCTV, and intruder-detection systems. The cost ballooned from an estimated $43 million in 2014 to $469 million in 2023. The north-south tunnels were first recommended by the Eddington Transport Report in 2008 as a way to increase the central city's rail capacity. The tunnel involved the construction of five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac. There are direct underground pedestrian interchanges with City Loop and other metropolitan services at State Library with Melbourne Central station, and at Town Hall with Flinders Street station. Sandringham line trains will run through to Williamstown and Werribee via the Flinders Street Viaduct. The Clifton Hill tunnel's Western End begins at Southern Cross; the tunnel is the only one that can serve as a full loop, as the tunnel splits into two after Parliament branching off to both Jolimont and Flinders Street.
Services and direction of travel
thumb|Next train display at [[Parliament railway station|Parliament station ]]
All metropolitan lines on the Melbourne rail network except for the Stony Point line serve Flinders Street station or the adjacent Town Hall station, but not all of these lines serve the City Loop.
Depending on direction of travel, city-bound services that use the City Loop either run "via City Loop" (travels around the Loop before arriving at Flinders Street and Southern Cross), or "direct to Flinders Street" (stops at Flinders Street and Southern Cross first, then continues around the Loop to leave the city). At Flinders Street, some trains may also terminate to change services.
Trains on the Werribee and Williamstown lines thorugh run with the Sandringham line, via Flinders Street and Southern Cross, and does not run through the City Loop. Trains on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines continue towards Sunbury via the Metro Tunnel, which bypasses the City Loop.
Burnley Group
- , , & lines
The Burnley Group currently remains as one of the two loops to reverse operations on weekdays.
During the morning, Burnley Group trains from Camberwell runs anti-clockwise through the loop, departing Richmond then running via the City Loop before arriving at Flinders Street. Services departing the city will then run direct to Richmond, and continue out towards the suburbs. The Glen Waverley line runs direct to Flinders Street. Passengers for the City Loop can change at Richmond for a connecting City Loop service.
During Night Network (Saturday 12:30am-5:30am, Sunday 12:30am-7:30am) Services will run direct to and from Flinders Street from Richmond.
Caulfield Group
The Caulfield Group currently runs anti-clockwise (departing Richmond running via the City Loop to Flinders Street). This has been the case since timetable changes in 2021.
From 1 February 2026, the Frankston line began exclusive use of the Caulfield tunnels. The Frankston line had formerly used the Caulfield tunnels alongside the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in regular service until 2011, with limited City Loop services continuing in peak and on weekends until 2021.
During Night Network (Saturday 12:30am-5:30am, Sunday 12:30am-7:30am) Services will run direct to and from Flinders Street from Richmond.
During Night Network (Saturday 12:30am-5:30am, Sunday 12:30am-7:30am) Services will run direct to and from Flinders Street from Jolimont.
The Werribee line formerly used the Northern tunnels in regular service until 2011, with City Loop services continuing on weekends until 2021. (Note that the Williamstown line never historically ran via the City Loop). From 1 February 2026, the Sunbury line also ceased running through the City Loop, instead running via the Metro Tunnel.
During Night Network (Saturday 12:30am-5:30am, Sunday 12:30am-7:30am) Services will run direct to and from Flinders Street from North Melbourne whilst skipping Southern Cross. (On Sunday mornings between 5am and 7:30am all services will stop at Southern Cross but will still run direct to and from Flinders Street).
Parliament
thumb|right | alt=Escalators at Parliament station | Escalators at Parliament station
Parliament station opened in 1983 and serves the eastern end of the CBD. The station has entrances on Lonsdale Street and on Macarthur Street. The station gets its name from its proximity to the Parliament of Victoria. The station has interchanges with three tram routes on Nicholson Street and two tram routes on Macarthur Street.
Melbourne Central
alt=Melbourne Central Station fare gates in 2017.|thumb|Melbourne Central Station fare gates in 2017.
Melbourne Central opened in 1981 as Museum Station. The station received its original name from the Melbourne Museum, which was located within the State Library of Victoria. The station's name was changed in 1997 to Melbourne Central following the 1991 redevelopment of the site above the station to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre and the relocation of the Melbourne Museum to a new building in Carlton Gardens.
Flagstaff
alt=Flagstaff station platform in 2023.|thumb|Flagstaff station platform in 2023.
Flagstaff station opened in 1985 and serves the Western end of the CBD. The station owes its name because of its proximity to Flagstaff Gardens, which is just north of the station.
Future
Reconfiguration
The Network Development Plan – Metropolitan Rail in 2012 proposed reconfiguring the City Loop. Once complete, the reconfiguration would help the network to run seven independent lines with dedicated access in the CBD. The proposal was again included in the 30-year Infrastructure Strategy for 2021–2051 from the independent government advisory body Infrastructure Victoria, as recommendation 60.
The project would see up to of new tunnel built, creating new entrances to the existing City Loop tunnels. Infrastructure Victoria in its 30-year strategy argued the Craigieburn metropolitan line, the Shepparton regional line and the Seymour regional line would reach capacity in the 2030s, and the City Loop would be heavily congested by 2036.