Getting On With The Rail And Road Projects Victorians Need

Credit: Giulio Saggin (ABC News)

Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan and Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan today inspected the Metro Tunnel’s North Melbourne construction site, where excavation of the station box is underway to prepare for the launch of the Metro Tunnel’s first tunnel boring machine.

The new North Melbourne Station will kickstart the transformation of the area from an industrial precinct to a new suburb with a vibrant mix of residential, retail and business uses. Over the next 30 years, the area will create 34,000 jobs and house 15,000 people.

Over the coming months, Victorians will be faced with another construction blitz to prepare for bigger trains, work on the Metro Tunnel, West Gate Tunnel and improvements to Hoddle Street.

Work is continuing to overhaul rail infrastructure along the Cranbourne/Pakenham line as part of ongoing preparations for the introduction of a new fleet of High Capacity Metro Trains, which will be able to carry 20 per cent more passengers than any train currently running on the network.

From 1-23 December, buses will replace trains along sections of the line. Coaches will also replace Gippsland trains for the entire journey to Southern Cross Station during these times.

Recognising the ongoing impact of disruption, passengers on the disrupted sections Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland lines will get free travel for their journey. This free travel will apply during the major construction blitz taking place from 1-23 December.

Passengers on these corridors have already experienced more than 100 days of disrupted travel this year.

There will also be some shorter line closures in the lead up to the December construction blitz across the metropolitan rail network.

These works are part of the Andrews Labor Government’s more than $40 billion investment in transport infrastructure which is transforming our rail and road networks.

Other construction being undertaken between now and the end of the year include maintenance on parts of the V/Line network, work on the Ballarat line as part of Regional Rail Revival, West Gate Tunnel Project works, improvements to Hoddle Street and regular maintenance on the tram and train networks.