Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams have announced the “Summer Start” program ahead of the Metro Tunnel’s opening in early December, giving passengers hundreds of new weekly services before the full network integration, known as the “Big Switch,” on 1 February.
The Summer Start will see Metro Tunnel services running seven days a week, stopping at all five new underground stations: Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall and Anzac.
From Monday to Friday, trains will run every 20 minutes from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm between Westall on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines and West Footscray on the Sunbury line. Weekend services will run every 20 minutes from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm between Westall and West Footscray, every 40 minutes from East Pakenham, and every 60 minutes from Sunbury. This adds more than 240 extra weekly services during the Summer Start, while existing services continue as normal through the City Loop.
“The Summer Start is how we’re opening the tunnel safer, smoother and sooner,” Williams said, highlighting that the approach allows passengers to get familiar with the new stations and services before the Big Switch.
Premier Allan said, “Christmas is coming early for everyone on the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Sunbury lines, who’ll have hundreds of new services every week from the start of December.”
“This tunnel will transform Melbourne, cut congestion and get you to work, uni and home sooner – and it opens a year ahead of schedule.”
The Big Switch, set for 1 February, will fully integrate the Metro Tunnel into Victoria’s wider transport network. It will introduce more than 1,000 new weekly services, overhaul thousands of timetables, and change the way half of Melbourne’s train passengers travel every day. Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham line services will run exclusively through the Metro Tunnel, with trains arriving every 10 minutes during the day and every three to four minutes in peak times. Frankston line services will also return to the City Loop, improving access for thousands of commuters.
Passengers can expect faster travel across the city, with around 12 minutes end-to-end through the Metro Tunnel, and new direct connections to major hospitals, universities and St Kilda Road.
The Metro Tunnel is the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network in more than 40 years, freeing up space in the City Loop to run more trains, more often, on more lines.
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