Melbourne public transport shake-up to come when Metro Rail Tunnel opens

THOUSANDS of commuters will have their train commute cut short, with the Metro Tunnel also prompting the diversion of trams from the heart of the city in a major transport shake-up.

MELBOURNE’S Metro Rail Tunnel will halve the time it takes to travel across the city.

New analysis obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun shows it will take just nine minutes by train between Anzac station in the south and Parkville ­station in the north.

Trips between Anzac, Town Hall, State Library and Parkville stations will each take two minutes, with a minute at each station for passengers to get on and off the trains.

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A tram from Domain Interchange to Melbourne University, where Parkville station will be, now takes 15 to 20 minutes.

With trains providing a more ­efficient service, the $11 billion Metro Tunnel will prompt a shake-up of the tram network, with services diverted from the heart of the city to the west end of the CBD.

The Metro Tunnel will prompt a shake-up of the tram network. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross

Authorities have confirmed that tram routes along St Kilda Rd and Swanston St, the world’s busiest tram corridor, will change. Some city-bound services on St Kilda Rd will turn left at Park St before travelling up Clarendon and Spencer streets.

It is believed it will take just two minutes for commuters to change from the platform at Domain Interchange’s new “super” tram stop to the new Anzac station platforms.

A Transport for Victoria spokesman said half the passengers who used Anzac station each day would swap between trains and trams.

“By relieving pressure on St Kilda Rd-Swanston St tram corridor, the Metro Tunnel will create additional capacity on the tram network, enabling some services to potentially be rerouted to the west of Melbourne’s CBD to cater for the city’s growth.”

But the lobby for public transport users has warned the whole network would need to be carefully scheduled and synchronised.

“It is vital that the interchange at all the new stations, not just Anzac, is as smooth and as quick as possible,” said Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen.

Excavations at the former site of the Melbourne City Square in preparation of the Metro Rail Tunnel.

“That seamless trip is what we are looking for. The last thing we would want is for it to take ages to get off the platform, up the escalators, along a corridor, through a fare gate, along another corridor, up some stairs — a long, maze-like route.

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“We need to be sure that both the trains and the trams are running frequently so you never wait for long.”

A missing section of track on Park St prevents trams from connecting St Kilda Rd to the CBD west, but that will be solved as part of the rail works.

Metro Rail Authority chief executive Evan Tattersall said not all the trams running on St Kilda Rd and Swanston St were needed: “What we really need is trams to the west of the city because the growth down there, with Docklands, has been significant.”

Premier Daniel Andrews said last month that the Metro Rail Tunnel was a year ahead of schedule and now due to open in 2025.

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