This morning marked the debut of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel to commuters, although the launch encountered a few minor glitches.
The ambitious $15 billion endeavor, beset by delays and obstacles, introduced five new stations, with the first trains commencing service shortly after 9 am.
Residents of Melbourne eagerly ventured to explore the expanded network, resulting in significant crowds at each station, despite some experiencing delays and minor problems.
An incident involving a fire alarm near Anzac Station caused delays of up to 15 minutes, temporarily halting train movement. However, Metro Trains’ official website indicates these disruptions are now being resolved.
Additionally, Parkville Station and State Library Station have reported escalator malfunctions, as noted by The Age.
Alongside these, Town Hall and Arden are the other new stations inaugurated today, contributing to the nearly 100-kilometer span of the new line.
It represents the biggest upgrade to Melbourne’s rail in 40 years, doubling the size of the city’s underground rail network and will ease congestion on the city loop.
It is a project that has been years in the making, with tunnelling beginning in 2019.
Boring machines were digging as deep as 40 metres underneath Melbourne to create the tunnels, the most striking of which are two twin tunnels that run for nine kilometres.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan claimed it was a scare tactic to try and secure better pay, rather than publicising any actual safety concerns.
“The claims that have been made by the union today are wrong and they’ve also been clearly rejected by the rail safety regulator, who is the expert on this matter,” Allan said.
“These claims are being made perhaps more for industrial purposes than anything else.”
