The reasons given for scrapping the Melbourne Metro project in favour of the new ‘Fishermans Bend’ Melbourne Rail Project don’t stack up.  The premier and transport minister argue that Metro would dig up Swanston St and divide the city. Dr Napthine said that  “it was just too hard to build the Melbourne Metro because we had to rip up our street”

— Is Napthine going to stuff up Melbournes Metro?

The truth is that, due to the Yarra River, the depth of existing city loop tunnels, and the limited gradients that our trains can manage, the Metro tunnel was more likely to be bored well below Swanston Street. In this case the only disruption being on sites where the stations are constructed. If anything, the depth of the stations was one of the identified disadvantages of this route as pedestrian access is more difficult.

The alternative scheme has several disadvantages. Not least of these is that it makes future train services to Parkville and Doncaster less likely. Public Transport Victoria’s 20 year network plan includes a project to decouple the South Morang Line at Clifton Hill and drive it in a tunnel to Parkville, then Southern Cross and terminating at Fishermens bend. This frees capacity to allow the Doncaster line to join the Hurstbridge line with manifold benefits for east-west and north-south travel, and may allow a train connection from Doncaster to Parkville if the East West link doesn’t take the median of the Eastern Freeway. Continue Reading…