Happy birthday, Flagstaff Station! 

It has been forty years (27 May, 1985) since Flagstaff officially opened to passengers, the final stage of Melbourne’s much-anticipated City Loop.  

As Melbourne looks forward to the opening of the Metro Tunnel later this year, we take a walk down memory lane to rediscover our last city-shaping public transport project.  

This will be the station’s last birthday before the Metro Tunnel opens, a project that will double the size of Melbourne’s underground rail networks. 

When the City Loop opened, Passenger Service Resourcing Lead Geoff Jacks was a Stations Inspector – and he remains a Metro Trains employee to this day.  

Geoff began with the Victoria Railways in 1972 as a Junior Station Assistant at Highett Station and is now in rostering as the Passenger Service Resourcing Lead, looking after the schedules of station staff.

Geoff shared his memories of the opening day with ABC Melbourne.

“I’ve been there for the opening of all three underground city loop stations,” he said. “It opened up the top end of the city all the way through.”