A “city-shaping” Easter blitz on road, rail and tram works is expected to cause major delays for commuters across Melbourne, starting on Thursday morning.
Public Transport Victoria chief executive Mark Wild asked commuters to be patient during the 11 days of disruptions, and understand that the outcome would be worthwhile.
“There is clearly a lot of work going on across the network … I do realise this is very disruptive,” he said.
Buses are replacing trains between Oakleigh and Dandenong on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines due to construction work on the Springvale Road level crossing.
Eighty replacement buses are running between the stations and commuters will face delays of up to 40 minutes.
The busy intersection of Victoria Parade and Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, is also closed to all traffic and will remain so until April 26, as Yarra Trams replaces 70-year-old tram tracks.
The work will also affect tram routes through the area.
Regional Rail Link construction west of the CBD will force buses to replace suburban train services on April 26 and 27 on the Werribee line, between Newport and North Melbourne, and the Williamstown line between Williamstown and North Melbourne.
V/Line services between Melbourne and Geelong will also be replaced with buses during that period, while the Ballarat, Bendigo and Sunbury lines will be replaced with buses from April 19 to 25, due to Regional Rail Link works.
V/Line services will not run between Seymour and Southern Cross Station from April 19 to 21 and April 25 to 27.
Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said choosing the quieter period over Easter and Anzac Day to undertake a string of “city-shaping” road and public transport projects would help minimise the impact.
“By taking advantage of this quieter holiday period we reduce the number of weekend rail closures and are able to more efficiently deliver on projects,” he said.
Mr Mulder said authorities were planning to ensure services would meet demand for the MCG clash between Collingwood and Essendon, and Anzac Day events.
