How a new round of transport disruption pain will affect you

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Melburnians have been warned to prepare for more transport pain in the coming months, when major project works disrupt a busy tram route, several key train lines and major city through roads.

The route 19 tram, which runs from North Coburg down Sydney Road to the CBD, will shut between Brunswick Road in Brunswick and the Queen Vic Market in the city from November 21 to 30, the state government said on Thursday.

The 19 tram, Wurundjeri Way and La Trobe Street will also be disrupted in the coming months. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Commuters will be put on replacement shuttle buses along Royal Parade while a new tram “super stop” is built between the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Melbourne University, which will connect to the Metro Tunnel’s Parkville underground train station. Journeys will take around 10 minutes longer than usual.

Meanwhile, the eastbound lane of La Trobe Street in the CBD will shut between Elizabeth and Swanston streets from September 4 for up to 12 months for work on the new State Library station, also part of the Metro Tunnel.

The West Gate Tunnel project will shut the intersection of Wurundjeri Way and Dudley Street in Docklands from early October to early December, and close the West Gate and Princes freeways overnight several times during the next year. Buses will also replace trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines for three days in December.

Buses will also replace trains on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham train lines over three days in November for more Metro Tunnel work, while maintenance will shut the Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Hurstbridge and Mernda lines from 11pm on September 24 to the last train on September 25.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the closure of La Trobe Street would cause delays of around five minutes for car trips through the city, while delays from the Wurundjeri Way closure would be 15 to 20 minutes.

“There are alternative movements, there are alternative options… to get in and out of the city from that end of town and that’s why we’re asking people to plan ahead,” she said.

Allan said transport agencies had learnt from the chaotic scenes when most of the western suburbs train network shut down for two weeks in late June, with commuters experiencing long waits for replacement buses.

“There’s no doubt the availability of buses is one of the pressures on planning for disruptions and we continue to manage through that,” she said. “We absolutely review each disruption — review things like the availability of buses, the customer information that’s provided… how we can map the routes that people use.”

Allan said the Royal Parade tram interchange would enable route 19 passengers to transfer onto the Metro Tunnel services, which could take them to Anzac Station at the Domain in eight minutes, compared to 25 on a tram currently. The Metro Tunnel is due to open in 2025.

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