Platform doors are another significant upgrade. The doors improve safety and avoid disruptions by preventing people or object falling onto the tracks.
They also make the station quieter, without the whoosh of approaching trains, and easier to heat or cool. Above the doors, an information display will show crowding levels in each carriage of the approaching train so passengers can prepare to board emptier carriages.
The platforms at Arden Station are 15 metres wide and 220 metres long. Credit: Justin McManus
“This helps us to move the trains quicker and more safely moving the passengers, and they have a more comfortable journey,” Rodrigues says.
Trains serving the five Metro Tunnel stations need to stop with pinpoint accuracy to line up with the platform screen doors.
Metro Trains’ general manager of passenger readiness, Lloyd Salas, says this is only possible because of another Victorian first introduced through the Metro Tunnel program: high-capacity signalling.
For more than 70 years, Melbourne’s train network has operated with track-side signals that show drivers when it is safe for them to proceed, similar to traffic lights.
Red bricks are a nod to North Melbourne’s industrial heritage.Credit: Justin McManus
High-capacity signalling automatically controls the distance between trains, allowing them to run closer together and as frequently as once every three minutes.
As trains move through the tunnel, the signalling takes over from drivers and guides them between the stations at closer distances than could be possible if under a driver’s control.
“It also allows for extremely accurate stopping. So when the train pulls up, it will line up perfectly with the doors and the doors will open up,” Salas says.
Drivers are still responsible for opening and closing the doors, so they can ensure passengers have boarded or alighted safely.
The Metro Tunnel stations have platform screen doors – a first in Victoria.Credit: Justin McManus
The new signalling was first rolled out at sections of above-ground track between Clayton and South Yarra almost two years ago and has been tested consistently since.
“So we’ve got a huge amount of data that we can rely on,” Salas says. “Where other projects have failed is trying to introduce that signalling system at the same time as opening up a new tunnel [which] can be quite problematic.”
Already trains have travelled more than 200,000 kilometres during the testing program.
Behind the scenes, the five Metro Tunnel stations will be closely monitored by 2800 CCTV cameras feeding back to station control rooms, where workers are in constant radio contact with staff on the platforms.
Arden station is one of five new stations along the Metro Tunnel.Credit: Justin McManus
The CCTV also feeds into a high-tech SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system, along with almost 13,000 other devices including escalators, lifts, lights, fire systems and platform doors. The SCADA can control everything from lighting, temperature and escalator speeds through to initiating a station evacuation.
“It’s got eyes and ears on everything,” says Salas. “The more information you get, the better you can actually respond to anything.”
Salas says the project is in a stage of fine-tuning to ensure the new rail infrastructure, stations and technology that ties it all together work as intended on the first day.
“We’re bringing everything together, from a new timetable to people readiness to introducing new assets. Crossing the Ts and dotting the Is to make sure everything is in place,” Salas says.
“It’s bringing together processes, people and systems all in harmony to ensure it all works together the first time and every time once we open up. That’s the complexity of it all.”
Arden station master Christine Rodrigues. Credit: Justin McManus
Salas said the testing program is going through external assessment from independent reviewers to make sure it has been done comprehensively.
While the state government refuses to confirm its opening plans, The Age has previously revealed it was working towards a “soft opening” in November with limited services before working up to a full timetable in early 2026.
Rodrigues says she is proud to be responsible for one of Melbourne’s newest and arguably most impressive stations.
Across the facade of the red-brick building is an artwork by multidisciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah, showing two silver hands reaching towards each other in a universal gesture of welcoming.
“That is really a welcome sign, and that is what I want to tell all of Melbourne,” Rodrigues says.
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