Preparations are underway for test trains to run more than 35,000km over ten days in January on the Allan Labor Government's Metro Tunnel.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams today visited Anzac Station as the project team gets ready for 160 hours of 'dress rehearsal' - part of the project's trial operations phase.
Over the ten days, trains will travel between Hawksburn and West Footscray stations via the new twin nine-kilometre tunnels while station staff and drivers practice a range of real-life scenarios to prepare for the opening of the tunnel in 2025.
This will include opening platform screen doors more than 13,000 times at the five new state-of-the-art underground stations - Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
Trial operations will continue throughout 2025 as the team runs through more than 100 exercises - some multiple times - to demonstrate the complex systems and technology are working as designed, and all the necessary processes and procedures are in place for passenger services.
This will range from manual opening and closing of the platform screen doors in the event of a failure, to mock intruder detection and mass station and train evacuation exercises.
Train and systems testing will also continue into 2025, while crews continue works on the remaining two stations - Town Hall and State Library on Swanston Street in the CBD.
The Metro Tunnel is the biggest transformation of Melbourne's train network since the City Loop opened in 1981.
It will connect the busy Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines via a new tunnel and five new stations, creating an end-to-end rail line from the north-west to the south-east, giving passengers new connections and more options to move around our city.
As stated by Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams
"The Metro Tunnel is on track to open a year ahead of schedule in 2025 - transforming how people travel and creating capacity to deliver more trains more often."
"The project is currently at its most complex phase - as we continue testing advanced technology that has never been used on the Victorian rail network and run through operating processes and procedures as we get ready to open in 2025."
