Metro Tunnel test trains will be stopped if patients need access to lifesaving equipment

Trains on the $14bn rail project could be forced to stop due to concerns of interference with lifesaving hospital equipment at the Parkville medical precinct.

Trains will be stopped in their tracks during testing on the $14bn Metro Tunnel if nearby hospital patients need urgent access to lifesaving equipment.

Concerns about electromagnetic fields interfering with sensitive medical instruments have led to the critical care protocol, struck between the Parkville medical precinct and the tunnel operators.

Test trains, which began running in July, operate only during agreed periods of the day and evening to avoid clashes with the use of equipment such as MRIs.

Data is being collected to assess exact levels of electromagnetic interference, which experts raised as an issue in 2016 due to the tunnel’s proximity to the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, as well as the University of Melbourne and Peter Doherty Institute.

There are concerns about electromagnetic fields interfering with sensitive medical instruments. Picture: Big Build Vic

If levels raise fresh concerns, the government may be forced to spend tens of millions of dollars to build shields, or limit how much electrical current the trains draw in parts of the tunnel.

A spokesman for the state government said: “Anyone with urgent imaging needs will be prioritised over testing to ensure their treatment is unaffected”.

Last year the Herald Sun revealed that some MRIs used by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre at the VCCC were moved to its East Melbourne site last year, while new floors or wings at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital were ­designed so specialist equipment was shielded from the impact of the tunnel.

But questions remain about long-term mitigation plans ahead of more intense testing, and a scheduled tunnel opening in 2025.

New floors or wings at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women’s Hospital were ­designed so specialist equipment was shielded from the impact of the tunnel.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said there should be a clear plan because it was “not good enough to leave patients and clinicians in limbo”.

“What the Allan government must explain is how many patients have had vital scans affected and therefore delays to their treatment, and how long will this disruption go on for?” she said.

A government spokesman said: “Patient safety is of the utmost importance. That’s why Metro Tunnel testing is currently under way to assess the impact – if any – of planned rail networks through the Parkville medical precinct.

“This is just the first phase of an extensive testing period and the Department of Health will be working closely with Rail Projects Victoria and the affected health services to ­ensure any possible risks are appropriately assessed.

The state government says there is extensive testing period underway to assess risks. Picture: David Geraghty

“Throughout the testing period, anyone with urgent imaging needs will be prioritised over testing to ensure their treatment is unaffected.”

As well as medical diagnostic equipment, the Parkville biomedical precinct and University of Melbourne campus have sensitive scientific tools, including atomic force microscopes and ion beam microscopes.

Trains have been running through the tunnel, which links South Yarra to Kensington via five underground stations, since July, and it is believed there have been no interruptions due to the use of the critical care protocol.

More intensive testing, such as trial operations in which signalling is put through its paces, begins next year in the hope that the tunnel can take passengers from early 2025.

Project builder John Holland’s chief executive Joe Barr recently told a business function hosted by the Herald Sun and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that he hoped the tunnel would be ready by September 2024.

However, senior industry figures warn that putting technology and safety processes through their paces is where international tunnels, such as the Crossrail project in London, often hit delays and an early opening date ­remains unlikely.