Melbourne Central railway station

Melbourne Central
Eastbound view from Platform 3, February 2026
General information
LocationLa Trobe Street,
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
City of Melbourne
Australia
Coordinates37°48′36″S 144°57′46″E / 37.81000°S 144.96278°E / -37.81000; 144.96278
SystemPTV commuter rail station
Owned byVicTrack
Operated byMetro Trains
Lines
Platforms4 (2 island)
Tracks4
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Depth29 metres (95 ft)
Platform levels2
AccessibleYes—step free access
Other information
StatusOperational, premium station
Station codeMCE
Fare zoneMyki Zone 1
WebsitePublic Transport Victoria
History
Opened24 January 1981 (1981-01-24)
ElectrifiedJanuary 1981
(1500 V DC overhead)
Previous namesMuseum (1981–1997)
Passengers
2019-202010.866 million  28.75%
2020-20214.207 million  61.28%
2021–20225.491 million  30.54%
2022–20238.626 million  57.09%
2023–202411.177 million  29.57%
Services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station
Flagstaff
One-way operation
Mernda line Parliament
Hurstbridge line
Flagstaff Frankston line Parliament
One-way operation
Direction of travel on metropolitan lines below between stations on the City Loop changes to either Flagstaff or Parliament depending on the line and time of day.
Flagstaff Lilydale line Parliament
Belgrave line
Alamein line
Weekday peak hours only
Glen Waverley line
Weekday afternoon and weekends only
Flagstaff
towards Upfield or Craigieburn
Upfield line Parliament
Craigieburn line
Former services
Preceding station Metro Trains Following station
Pre 2026
Flagstaff Cranbourne line Parliament
Pakenham line
Flagstaff Sunbury line
Parliament
Pre 2021
Flagstaff Sandringham line Parliament
towards Sandringham
Flagstaff Werribee line
Parliament
Williamstown line
Track layout
1
3
L1 (upper)
2
4
L2 (lower)
Location

Melbourne Central station is a railway station operated by Metro Trains Melbourne on the Burnley, Caulfield, Clifton Hill and Northern group lines, which are part of the Melbourne rail network. It serves the Melbourne city centre in Victoria, Australia. Melbourne Central is an underground premium station on the City Loop, featuring four platforms, two island platforms on two floors connected to street level by a shopping and commercial precinct. It opened on 24 January 1981, with station refurbishments underway as of June 2024.

Initially opened as Museum, the station was given its current name of Melbourne Central on 16 February 1997, after the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, which it is beneath.

The station is located under La Trobe Street, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, on the northern edge of the central business district (CBD). It feeds into Melbourne's main metro network station, Flinders Street, and also Southern Cross, Melbourne's main regional terminus. In 2023-24, it was the third-busiest station on the Melbourne metropolitan rail network, with 11.177 million passengers.