Tram routes, footpaths and bike paths should all be improved to cater for the huge increase in street level activity the tunnel will bring, RMIT University's Ian Woodcock said.

The construction of five new underground railway stations will bring with it a string of street level changes, some of which may provoke a hostile reaction from the community, an Environment Effects Statement for the project warns.

These include the loss of dozens of mature trees that give character and shade along St Kilda Road and Grattan Street, which will take many years to be replaced.

"A significant number of mature (mostly exotic) trees would require removal during construction," the report states. "This includes trees that make a significant contribution to landscape character and urban amenity, such as along a section of St Kilda Road (adjacent to the site of the Domain station) and Grattan Street (between Royal Parade and Leicester Street)."

Those trees will be among an estimated 900 that will have to make way for the tunnel and stations, although the report notes that many of those trees are approaching the end of their natural lives now.

 Domain station artist's impression. Image: Supplied.

And although the Shrine of Remembrance has been declared strictly out of bounds, parkland within view of the shrine will be affected when it becomes a temporary building site, requiring the loss of more trees and some sports facilities.

The occupation of tennis courts and turf cricket pitches south of the city, and the construction of tunnel shafts in the Queen Victoria Gardens near the famed floral clock, could also provoke community opposition, the report warns.

The Andrews government released a series of striking artists' impressions of the five new stations that will be built as part of the project.

Ian Woodcock, a lecturer in urban design at RMIT University, said the planned stations looked impressive, but it was equally important to ensure the streets surrounding them were redesigned to handle all the extra foot traffic they would bring.

"There are many opportunities that [Melbourne Metro] opens up, the question is whether we are really going to have the nerve to explore all of those," Mr Woodcock said.

"The opportunity to enhance the reach of those underground stations by having as many entrances as possible has yet to be fully exploited."

The City Square in the CBD and University Square in Carlton are two places that will experience a huge spike in pedestrian movements, yet early designs for Parkville station show there will be no direct station access from University Square, with pedestrians forced to cross Grattan Street.

Grattan Street will be closed for five years during works and is likely to be permanently reduced to one lane each way after the tunnel opens and Mr Woodcock said pedestrian access needed to improve to reflect this.

 Parkville station artist's impression. Image: Supplied.

"There is an image there that shows this wonderful, cavernous station with top light coming down, it's going to be a very 21st-century experience of getting off the train and coming up to the top, and then you're going to be confronted with standing at the side of the street pressing a button and waiting to cross the road," he said.

The City Square will also become a station entrance, after an approximate five-year period as a construction site. The government has raised the prospect of using the St Paul's Cathedral car park as alternative public space to make up for the loss of the square.

 CBD South station. Image: Supplied.

Victorian Greens MP Sam Hibbins called for the inclusion of South Yarra station in the project, arguing Melbourne Metro will adversely impact the local community while offering them few benefits.

"There will be major disruptions and loss of amenity during constructions, yet few benefits without a South Yarra interchange," Mr Hibbins said.

"It's hypocritical of the government to say the benefits will justify disruptions, when they use disruption as an excuse not to build a South Yarra interchange with Melbourne Metro."

The environment effects statement says congestion will fall at South Yarra station once Metro opens, because Cranbourne and Pakenham line trains will be removed.

Only Frankston and Sandringham lines will pass through South Yarra, and the tunnel's construction will enable an increase in service frequency on those lines.

But the report also warns of extensive disruptions to train services at South Yarra while Melbourne Metro is built, with shutdowns at weekends and during Easter and Christmas holidays.