City Loop history
Melbourne's City Loop was completed in May 1985 with the opening of Flagstaff Railway Station. This page provides a range of resources about the construction of the Loop (Melbourne Underground Rail Loop), including photos, videos and a timeline.
Information on this page
Introduction
The creation of Melbourne Underground Rail Loop was an extraordinary undertaking. Construction commenced in 1971, and the project was completed with the opening of Flagstaff Station in 1985. Before the Loop, around 90 per cent of all rail passengers travelling to the city travelled through Flinders Street Station. This caused serious congestion for both passengers and trains. Today, the Loop provides customers with a choice of five stations around the central business district and avoids operational problems associated with trains having to reverse direction at Flinders Street Station.
As early as 1929, the Metropolitan Town Planning Commission recommended the construction of railway tracks and stations under the eastern and northern sides of the central business district, and connecting them to the existing railway system in the vicinity of North Melbourne and Richmond. The 1969 Melbourne Metropolitan Transport Plan also supported the need for an underground loop, and proposed a design similar to that finally agreed upon.
The City Loop has served Melbourne well. However, 20 years after its completion, it has begun to approach capacity and future planning will address this issue. To keep up to date with what's happening in the Victorian Government's Public Transport portfolio
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Key anniversaries
Timeline
Videos
The following films were produced by the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority in the 1970s, during the planning and construction of the Loop. Originally there was to be a trilogy of films, one at the start of construction, one during construction and a final one when the project was completed. However, when the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority was scaled back at the end of the project, the third film was never completed. As well as documenting construction of the Loop, the films show the development of Melbourne during the 1970s.
Things to watch for in the videos:
- The Melbourne Central Shot Tower, now located under the dome, can be seen in the videos quite clearly during the construction of Melbourne Central Station. La Trobe Street was temporarily diverted around the construction site, right next to the base of the Shot Tower.
- New silver trains are shown being constructed. These are the Hitachi Trains which are now being progressively retired from service. Less than 10 of these trains remain in the system; the majority of them have already been retired, having provided around 20 years of service.
- Buildings under construction, including Collins Place and 80 Collins Street (formerly known as Nauru House).
The video files are provided in Real Media Player and Windows Media Player formats. You may need to access the free downloads of
Real Media Player or
Windows Media Player to view these files.
Alternatively, a DVD of these films will be available from the
City Library (part of the
Yarra-Melbourne Regional Library), or talk to your local library about the possibility of inter-library loan.
Complementary copies of DVDs of the films are available to educational institutions. Requests should be made in writing to:
Director of Public Transport
Public Transport Division
GPO Box 2797
Melbourne VIC 3001
Promotional flyers
The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority produced a number of brochures about the project. One of the difficulties to be overcome was that many people believed the Loop was a new train line, separate to the existing rail network.
A
flyer produced at the start of the project (PDF, 246 KB, 1 p.) explains to commuters how the Loop would take them closer to their destination, illustrating it with a map of the proposed developments and improvements, an artist's impression and a photograph of an underground station on the Rotterdam metro.
The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop won a number of major awards. A
handbook (PDF, 3.1 MB, 18 pp.) was created to showcase the project during the nomination process for various awards.
Featured below are links to some of the pictures from a postcard-style brochure released during the early stages of construction:
Photo gallery
The City Loop was extensively documented during its construction from 1971 to 1985. These photographs are a small sample from the public transport archives, which are now held by the
Public Record Office Victoria.
Credits