The start of 2025 has set a frenetic pace for the final year of work on the Metro Tunnel, with a 10-day work blitz that saw more than 2600 train trips through the tunnel.
The testing schedule had trains travelling between Hawksburn and West Footscray through the new tunnels along the Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines at a frequency between 8 and 12 per hour.
The frequency is expected to increase in the coming months as we refine the new technology inside the tunnels and stations.
The 10-day blitz of operations were an opportunity for Metro Trains staff to become more familiar with the project, with another 46 train drivers trained to operate the new High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs) – taking the total number of trained drivers to around 200. This work is part of a new phase known as Trial Operations.
Trial Operations are a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the project that involves station staff, operators, maintenance staff and drivers rehearsing the operation of the Metro Tunnel and its stations.
The team will conduct more than 100 exercises to demonstrate the project’s complex systems and technology are working as designed.
Everything is rehearsed, from opening and closing each of the 5 new underground stations, to major incidents such as intruder detection and mass train and station evacuation exercises so staff are prepared for every possible scenario.
160 hours of these exercises were completed during the 10-day work blitz.
Keen to learn more about Trial Operations? Our expert Shannon Rollinson takes you through everything to happen in this critical phase.