Hannah Hammoud
Passengers are bracing the cold as the queue for replacement buses grows across Melbourne’s west.
Works on the West Gate Tunnel Project have caused major disruptions to the state’s train network, forcing those in the western suburbs to use replacement bus services to reach the city.
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) have scheduled buses to replace trains on the Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines as Victoria’s Big Build undertakes work to widen and strengthen the existing Dynon Road bridge.
Commuters are being urged to allow extra time for their journey, with replacement buses running until the last scheduled train service on Sunday, July 9.
For the next two weeks more than 30,000 passengers will need to catch the replacement buses.
During the week, the normal commute to work for St Albans resident Kristina Barr involves a one hour train ride to Southern Cross station. But while these works go on, Ms Barr will be forced to queue for a bus that will take her into the city.
“I prefer to take the trains because I don’t trust the buses, they are unreliable,” she said.
“But what can I do? That’s life.”
Earlier in the week, the state government encouraged those living in Melbourne’s west to consider working from home over the next two weeks to avoid the chaos.
However, it is not all doom and gloom, with some residents applauding PTV’s organising to get the replacement system running smoothly.
Burnside resident Rodney Hollingworth gets his son to drop him off at Sunshine station to catch a replacement bus as he heads into work in the city.
“It’s a big job to do and I think the way they’ve set this up is really good. I’m 74 and it works for me, I can’t complain,” he said.
