Test trains will complete the first full practice run from East Packenham through the new Metro Tunnel to Sunbury in Melbourne on Saturday June 21.
Trains on those lines will be running to a weekday service frequency, so there will be more services compared to the usual Saturday timetable.
Passengers travelling on the Cranbourne, Packenham and Sunbury Lines on the day will have to disembark at Caulfield or Footscray and move to a Werribee Line train to continue the rest of their journey. This will enable the test trains to run through the Metro Tunnel without passengers on board.
The trials on June 21 will be the first time that the tunnel’s new systems and infrastructure are tested over a full day.
Network operations expert Shannon Rollinson explained: “Lots of people ask, why do you need to do this? You can’t just flick a switch and all of a sudden the timetable is done.
“We’re introducing such a big and complex new asset into the metropolitan network.”
Rollinson said the modelling that has been completed so far is intense and very detailed, and now it’s time to test it in real-life conditions.
“This will allow us to ensure that one of the new Metro Tunnel paths doesn’t impact a V/Line service or a freight service.
“What we’re doing on the 21st is just ensuring that all of those parts are synchronised and work the way we need them to work.”
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