Cranbourne passengers outraged over three-hour delays due to Metro Tunnel works
Cranbourne line commuters say Metro Tunnel works are tripling the length of their trips, with footage showing long queues for substitute buses. But the Public Transport Users’ Association says there is one thing that could help.
South East
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Track closures for Metro Tunnel works are causing nightmarish conditions on the Cranbourne line, with some commuters furious their trips are taking at least three hours.
Train users complain the bus replacements are frustrating and plagued with delays.
Luke Batty, who sent the Leader photos of dozens of people waiting in a long queue in the rain at Caulfield train station on Monday, said it took him three hours to get home.
“I refuse to get a train again,” Mr Batty said
Cranbourne man Ross Capper said his journey to and from work had been taking at least three hours since disruptions began in January.
“I took a train from Cranbourne to Dandenong and then, to avoid the lines at Caulfield for the bus, walked from Carnegie to East Malvern, which took 20 minutes,” Mr Capper said.
“I then caught the train to Richmond and then a city loop train to Melbourne Central and this took me two hours. I tried the same thing home … all up my journey home took three hours door to door.”
Ignatius Abraham said he was frustrated by the long delays.
“They should have increased the trains during peak hours. At least simultaneously run direct buses to major stations like Dandenong, Pakenham and Cranbourne in the evening as well,” Mr Abraham said.
Another Cranbourne passenger said it took him almost three hours to get home from work.
“The most horrible thing is once we reached Dandenong, they cancelled two trains to Cranbourne ‘shuttle’ service,” he said.
Tara Jarvis said not having enough buses at Federation Square was a big problem.
“There’s a lack of buses at peak times and also we’re having to get off the train at Dandenong on Platform 3 then run up a flight of stairs, across the concourse and back down a flight of stairs to make the Cranbourne ‘shuttle’ train on Platform 1,” Ms Jarvis said.
Public Transport Users’ Association spokesman Daniel Bowen has slammed the delays as “unacceptable”.
“These delays are playing havoc with people’s lives. Everyone knows the Metro Tunnel will be worthwhile but better solutions should’ve been in place for commuters,” Mr Bowen said.
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“There’s been so many reports of delays on social media and it’s just a terrible outcome for people waiting at least 50 minutes or longer for a bus.”
He said a key improvement would be dedicated bus lanes from Caulfield to the city.
“This would could cut down queues and run more efficiently, meaning there would be less delays for commuters.”
Services are due to return to normal on January 31.
A Department of Transport spokeswoman said the department thanked passengers for their patience as work progresses on the final section of the Metro Tunnel entrance at South Yarra.
“This week, as more people headed back to work, we’ve added extra express buses operating every 10 minutes from Cranbourne station to Parliament station,” she said.