A huge winter of works is getting underway as the Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel get ready to open this year, 2 more level crossings will be removed, taking the total number of level crossings removed to 87, and work ramps up on Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East.
Read more below about the major planned disruptions coming up this winter in west, north, and south east Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Melbourne's west
As the West Gate Tunnel nears completion, there will be some outbound lane and ramp closures on the West Gate Freeway. Outbound travel will be reduced to 3 lanes between Williamstown Road and Millers Road, with the Williamstown outbound onramp to be closed, along with the Millers Road exit ramp.
On Saturday 21 June, the Sunbury Line will have more frequent services for the day but passengers will need to change at Footscray Station, as trains without passengers will run through the tunnel to trial the new Metro Tunnel systems. There will also be service changes through winter.
Buses will replace trains on the Sunbury Line for a week in late June for works to remove the Calder Park Drive level crossing.
Testing of the new, locally-built X’Trapolis 2.0 trains will continue, to get ready for the gradual retirement of our longest-serving Comeng trains. While testing takes place, buses will replace trains on the Werribee Line between Newport and Werribee stations after 8.30pm most nights through winter.
Melbourne's north
Tunnelling is powering ahead on North East Link, with 2 massive tunnel boring machines re-launched last week to continue the journey to Bulleen. In July, drivers will move onto new Bulleen Road lanes, and the first completed section of a major new interchange on the Eastern Freeway.
Two new walking and cycling bridges will start to take shape over the Eastern Freeway at Estelle Street and Heyington Avenue, as part of more than 34km of new and upgraded trails. These works will require a weekend closure of the Eastern Freeway between Doncaster and Tram roads, in late August, as well as regular night-time closures.
In Watsonia, crews will continue work to extend a rail tunnel to make way for North East Link to connect to the M80 Ring Road, with buses replacing trains on sections of the Hurstbridge Line from Sunday 1 July to Thursday 24 July.
Melbourne's south east
On Saturday 21 June, the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will have more frequent services for the day but passengers will need to change at Caulfield Station, as trains without passengers will run through the tunnel to trial the new Metro Tunnel systems. There will also be service changes through winter.
For a week at the end of August, SRL East crews will work at Clayton Station to underpin one of the support piers of the elevated rail line, to prepare for tunnelling to start.
Crews on the Clyde Road Upgrade in Berwick will close the Princes Freeway citybound exit ramp onto Clyde Road from mid-June to November and the Clyde Road entry ramp onto the Princes Freeway Warragul-bound from July until October.
Regional Victoria
In regional Victoria, the Gippsland Line will have service changes and coaches replacing trains at times through winter, as work continues on level crossing removals, SRL East, Metro Trains maintenance and the Gippsland Line Upgrade.
There will also be service changes and coaches replacing trains at times during winter on parts of the Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough lines and the Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill lines.
Find out more
Check for up-to-date disruptions information before you travel.
