New Anzac metro station opened up for ‘trainspotter's block party'
As part of the Rising festival, crowds of train enthusiasts and music fans braved the cold to be among the first to experience the Metro Tunnel station.
They were greeted by the cavernous space, with its enormous 220-metre-long platforms, and the sounds of Indigenous artists from the Bad Apples music label, including Briggs, Barkaa and Birdz.
Former train driver Jack Jacobs, 29, said he had driven trains on the new tracks but was keen to finally see the station itself.
'It's cavernous. It's so weird seeing something so large when you just don't expect it to be there,' said Jacobs, sporting a T-shirt with the iconic blue-and-orange seat pattern of Melbourne's trains.
'It's better than I thought it would be… It's all polished and ready to go.'
Among the 'gunzels' was six-year-old Charlie Finan from Footscray, who said he loved taking the train because 'sometimes I get to go underground'. His verdict on the new station? 'Cool' and 'very, very underground'.
His aunt and uncle, Amelia and Luis, said while the music was the initial drawcard, the chance to explore the new station was a special opportunity.
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