The pressure is building on the Victorian Government to re-commit to the completion date schedule the Metro Tunnel project. This expensive, multimodal project was initially anticipated to be completed this year. Opposition leader Brad Battin calls for a written assurance. He agrees that developers should not be given any incentive payments if they don’t finish the first phase by the end of 2023. Meanwhile, key figures in the government, including Minister Steve Dimopoulos, have offered mixed messages regarding the project’s status and completion dates.
The Metro Tunnel project includes major station and transport upgrades, including five new underground stations and nine-kilometre twin tunnels. According to recent media reports, construction on two critical stations—Town Hall and State Library—has already blown through completion deadlines. This has sparked public outrage as to the extended overall project schedule and what it will mean for public transportation service.
Delays and Service Adjustments
Nine newspapers have reported that some train services will begin operating through the completed segments of the nine-kilometre twin tunnels later this year. During construction peak hour services will divert to the City Loop until early 2026. This recent change leaves open many questions about whether the tunnel will be able to operate at capacity when it finally opens.
Mr. Dimopoulos has yet claimed that a later date of completion should not be viewed as a setback. “The timetabling of what it will look like is being worked on now by the minister and her team, and we’ll reveal that information later this year,” he stated, emphasizing that the project remains on track to open by the end of this year. He had a lot of faith in the riders. First, they won’t be disappointed if not all services are running at full capacity on day one.
Though he had promised otherwise, Mr. Battin went on to chastise the government for their approach to the situation. “No one knows when it’s going to open, no one knows which stations will open and no one knows how many trains will be able to go through during peak and off-peak times,” he said. The opposition leader’s remarks underscore the increasing frustration with the government as it fails to stick with a clear outline, continuing to issue vague timelines.
Government Responses and Expectations
Addressing worries about possible timing delays, Mr. Dimopoulos underscored the intricacy of the work involved in his project and its unavoidable difficulties. “If you think of the complexity here … I don’t think people are going to be anything but overjoyed when they walk through those five stations,” he stated. His comments underscore an undeniable truth—that even with years of delay on the projects, the public is eager to see the completed project come to fruition.
Mr. Battin responded to this optimism by challenging the government’s approach to planning. “How can the government spend billions of dollars and not have the plan ready and know exactly what time those stations are going to open, and how often trains can operate?” he asked, signaling a demand for accountability from the government.
Alas, construction of Town Hall Station will probably miss the November deadline. This introduces additional concerns about whether each element of the project can stay on schedule. Mr. Dimopoulos noted that while there have been challenges, the timeline has not been finalized and remains subject to change.
