It will be a frustrating summer for rail commuters, with the frequency of services on most lines cut by half while the state government carries out its most ambitious summer rail works program to date.
Train passengers should also hope for temperatures below 45 degrees to avoid the widespread disruptions caused by heat-buckled tracks, Metro Trains chief Andrew Lezala said.
All but the branch lines of Alamein and Williamstown will run as reduced services as the state government takes advantage of reduced patronage over summer.
Major disruptions will stem from works at Mitcham station and level crossing works, the revamping of Footscray and Sunshine railway stations and the removal of Sunshine’s Anderson Road level crossing.
Passengers between Albion and North Melbourne stations will be shunted onto express and regular service buses while major Regional Rail Link works are carried out, including the removal of the Anderson Road level crossing. Metro will make use of the rarely-used Flemington Racecourse station for an express bus service from Albion station.
Transport Minister Terry Mulder warned passengers to leave extra time for travel, and an extra 45 minutes on the Ringwood to city journey.
Buses will replace trains between Ringwood and Blackburn, while works to remove the Rooks Road-Mitcham Road level crossing. Mr Mulder said works on the Mitcham railway station would be almost complete by December.
During the works, Rooks Road will be closed to traffic but Mitcham Road will remain open. The level crossing is expected to be removed by January 25. The old Mitcham station will be demolished from February.
Nightrider services to Lilydale and Croydon, Knox and Belgrave, Frankston and Dandenong will be increased to every 15 minutes from 2am to 3.30am on weekends from November 30 to December 22.
On the regional network, buses and coaches will replace trains on some sections include the Ballarat, Bendigo, Sunbury, Seymour, Albury and Shepparton lines during a Regional Rail Link “construction blitz”, Mr Mulder said. Passengers should allow an extra 30 minutes for travel time.
The rail-over-rail flyover at North Melbourne that leads to platforms one to eight will also be reconfigured.
Mr Lezala said he was confident that a heat-related meltdown would not occur this summer, but standby buses would be ready.
“The tracks [are] in pretty good condition,” Mr Lezala said.
“It has all been stressed, there are no unstressed pieces of track, so unless we hit 45 to 50 [degrees], we should be fine.”
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Phil King said Melbourne had been above 45 degrees three times, with the highest temperature 46.4 degrees on Black Saturday in 2009.
Mr Lezala said it was Metro’s most ambitious summer rail works program.
He also said he hoped not to use the Hiatachi trains over summer.
“They are not ideal are they in the heat. They are only 50 years old,” Mr Lezala said.
Public Transport Victoria chairman Ian Dobbs said patronage dropped by about half at summer time, which made it an ideal time carry out the works.
Long-suffering Geelong passengers can expect a smoother ride from December 22 when new dedicated Geelong tracks between South Kensington and Southern Cross stations are opened.
“Regular Geelong line passengers will no doubt have experienced frustrating delays on the approach to Southern Cross, waiting for metropolitan trains to pass before they have a clear path into the station,” Mr Mulder said.
He said most passengers would arrive on soon-to-open platforms 15 or 16 and would have a clear run into the station on the dedicated line.
THE KEY CHANGES
Sunbury line
Modified and reduced timetable from December 23 to 27.
Buses to replace trains from December 28 to January 19.
Reduced service and changed stopping patterns from January 20 to 27.
Weekend and evening services run to regular timetables.
Sandringham, South Morang, Hurstbridge, Werribee, Williamstown, Glen Waverley, Upfield and Craigieburn lines
Service frequency reduced by half on weekdays from December 23 to January 3.
Reduced services until January 27.
Williamstown line between Newport and Williamstown to run to regular timetable.
Frankston, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines
Reduced service and stopping patterns from December 23 to January 27.
Normal weekend and evening services.
Alamein and Stony Point lines
No timetable changes expected.
