With the opening of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, attention turns from engineering magnitude to architectural meaning. Arden Station stands as a declaration of intent, signalling how transport infrastructure can plant new civic life while honouring the layered industrial fabric of its surroundings.

Arden Station opened to passengers on 30 November 2025, marking a decisive moment in the long arc of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel. After more than a decade of planning and construction, the project now shifts from anticipation to lived experience, with five new underground stations activating a cross-city rail corridor that redefines how Melbourne moves and gathers. At Arden, the opening denotes something deeper than improved connectivity. It announces a new civic anchor within a former industrial precinct, where architecture, infrastructure and public realm converge to shape the next chapter of the city.

Chris Lamborn, key lead principal at Hassell Studio, joined UK architecture and urban design practice WW+P, along with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) on the project as it moved toward tender in 2016 and has guided its architectural thinking through to delivery. “This was always intended as a transformational civic project for Melbourne,” Lamborn says. “The brief was incredibly detailed, but it was also very aspirational. Design excellence and city-shaping impact came up time and time again.”

Arden Station sits at the edge of the CBD within a former industrial precinct poised for renewal. The station holds a pivotal role, acting as both transport infrastructure and urban catalyst. Its architecture had to carry the memory of what stood before while signalling what the precinct can become.

A station shaped by context and ambition

From the outset, the Metro Tunnel carried a clear conceptual driver. Lamborn describes it as the idea of an open metro, reflecting Melbourne’s civic openness while unlocking long constrained rail capacity. That vision filtered down into every design decision, from spatial planning to material restraint. “Even though these stations sit deep underground, opening them to natural light wherever possible became critical,” he explains. “Openness also meant generous spaces with clear sight lines and simple, legible organisation.”

At Arden, this openness pairs with a strong contextual response. The station’s above ground expression draws on the area’s industrial heritage through robust brickwork and a measured architectural language. Lamborn notes the intent as deliberate rather than nostalgic. “The brick design language responds to the heritage character of Arden. It gives the station a grounded presence and a sense of belonging within the precinct.”

That contextual reading intensifies as passengers move toward the surface. Deeper underground, the experience becomes part of a consistent network identity. Flooring, cladding systems and key elements follow a line-wide approach across all five stations. “As you go deeper, there is a more consistent design language because the stations respond to the rail network itself,” Lamborn says. “That consistency supports wayfinding and gives passengers a coherent experience.”

This balance between shared identity and local specificity became a defining challenge across the project. For Arden, the solution allows the station to operate as both neighbourhood anchor and metropolitan gateway, a place that feels distinctly of its site while clearly part of a larger civic system.

Designing generosity, safety and universal access

Spatial generosity sits at the core of Arden Station’s architecture with escalators and concourses that are expansive by design, supporting large passenger volumes while reinforcing a sense of ease. Lamborn points to safety and universal access as fundamental drivers rather than secondary considerations. “Both safety and universal access were key requirements in the brief. That drove a lot of the station planning.”

Equitable access guided every decision, from the placement of lifts to the openness of circulation spaces. “You want stations that feel comfortable and easy to read,” Lamborn explains. “Large open spaces help with passenger flow, but they also support that perception of safety, which is incredibly important.”

As a public asset delivered through a public private partnership, material durability carried equal weight in the project. The stations required finishes that support long-term operation and maintenance. Engagement with operators and maintenance teams shaped decisions around cleaning, repair and replacement. At Arden, brick and stone combine with restrained detailing to form an architecture built for longevity and daily use.

Community consultation formed another critical layer of the design process. Engagement occurred at each station location, allowing residents to respond to evolving designs, ensuring its integration with local aspirations. “A project of this scale has an enormous amount of stakeholder input,” Lamborn says. “The aim was to bring people along on the journey so the final outcome had genuine support.”

A civic legacy taking shape underground

For Lamborn, Arden Station embodies the deeper value of transport architecture. Its role extends beyond movement into the shaping of daily experience and future urban form. “These are civic buildings that transform cities,” he reflects. “They make it easier for people to connect through the city, and that has an enormous impact on everyday life.”

As precincts around Arden evolve, the station stands ready to support growth while grounding a new chapter in the area’s story. For Hassell, the project affirms the practice’s commitment to complex civic work that unites architecture, infrastructure and public realm. “We love projects where all of those elements come together,” Lamborn says. “Being part of something that will shape Melbourne for decades is incredibly rewarding.”

This focus on Arden marks the beginning of a broader exploration. Each Metro Tunnel station carries its own narrative, material logic and civic role. Together they form a network, yet each contributes something distinct to the city above.

For another train station design feat, check out the Bell Station, Preston on ADR.

All imagery Courtesy CYP