Railways and Tramways of Australia
City Loop Line
Melbourne Central station, 18 December 2017.
Year Opened:
Caulfield and Burnley groups 1981; City Circle and Clifton Hill groups 1982; Northern group 1985
Stations:
Flinders Street, Southern Cross, Flagstaff, Melbourne Central, Parliament
Typical Journey Time:
9 minutes (Flinders Street–Southern Cross–Parliament); 12 minutes (Southern Cross–Flinders Street–Flagstaff)
Typical Peak Frequency:
1 minute
Typical Off-peak Frequency:
2 minutes
Typical Weekend Frequency:
2 minutes
The City Loop line is mostly underground and services Melbourne’s Central Business District. Melbourne’s two largest stations, Flinders Street and Southern Cross (formerly known as Spencer Street), are above ground and are joined by a viaduct carrying six tracks. Flagstaff, Melbourne Central and Parliament stations are underground. A series of single-track bidirectional tunnels form the underground sections, with two tunnels between Flinders Street and Parliament, four between Parliament and Flagstaff, and three between Flagstaff and Southern Cross. The City Loop and the three underground stations were built in stages from 1981 to 1985. Most services to and from the city travel through the City Loop, with specific tunnels serving the different groups of lines. Trains can proceed clockwise or anticlockwise, and services from most lines change their direction of travel around the loop in the middle of the day. Services on the Clifton Hill group of lines currently always proceed clockwise through the City Loop.