Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel services will be trialled between Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham East on Saturday August 16 and Sunday August 17.
There will be more services than the usual weekend timetable, with the team running as many trains as possible to trial new systems and infrastructure.
Trains will run through the Metro Tunnel without passengers.
Passengers heading to the city will need to get off at Caulfield (Cranbourne/Pakenham lines) or Footscray (Sunbury Line) to switch to a Frankston or Werribee/Williamstown service to finish their trip.
When heading out of the city, commuters will need to catch a Frankston Line train to Caulfield and change to a Cranbourne/Pakenham line or catch a Werribee/Williamstown line train to Footscray to change to the Sunbury Line.
The Transport Victoria Journey Planner will show the timetable for the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines on the day, however there will be no live updates in the event of an incident.
Information displays on trains and some automatic announcements will announce services travelling through the Metro Tunnel eg. showing a Sunbury train’s destination as Pakenham via the Metro Tunnel.
The Victorian Government has advised passengers to listen to live announcements and station staff as the best source of information.
As of 2022, the remaining rail infrastructure works and systems package for the Metro Tunnel is being delivered by a consortium called the Rail Network Alliance, comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors, Alstom, AECOM, Metro Tunnel Project and Metro Trains.
During the first full day of trial operations in June, trains ran more than 3,400 kilometres between Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham East.
A government spokesperson said: “Thorough and extensive trials are crucial to ensure that the new infrastructure, systems and processes are safe and ready for passenger services when the Metro Tunnel opens later this year.”
