Guide to the City Loop closure in January 2022
If you are travelling to or around the city by train this month, you will want to know that the entire City Loop will be closed for two weeks from 9pm Monday 2 January to Sunday 15 January.
PTV have a webpage here on how this will impact you. I thought I would also give it a shot as this will be a significant disruption.
What is happening?
There will be no trains at the three underground City Loop stations from 9pm Monday 2 January to Sunday 15 January.
These are:
- Parliament
- Melbourne Central
- Flagstaff
This is due to construction works to complete the long-delayed upgrade of emergency infrastructure and tunnel intrusion detection. For some reason, it is being delivered by the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP).
Which lines are affected?
All trains that normally operate through the City Loop will be impacted.
Note that there are other disruptions happening at the same time on the following lines:
- Alamein
- Cranbourne
- Frankston
- Hurstbridge
- Pakenham
- Sandringham
- Stony Point
Please see the disruptions page here for more information.
Will there be buses replacing trains?
No. However, there are other public transport options.
Please see the section below for details.
Where can I find more information?
The main disruptions page for this here is inadequate in my opinion. My recommendation is to see this Metro Trains disruptions page which is much better.
How do I get to my destination in the CBD?
There are several options available depending on where you want to go.
| Station | Train | Tram | Bus | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliament | None | Routes 11, 12, 35, 48, 86, 96 and 109 | Routes 302, 304, 305, 318, 905, 906, 907, 908 | 1km (13 minutes) from Flinders Street Station |
| Melbourne Central | None | Routes 1, 3, 3a, 5, 6, 16, 19, 30, 35, 57, 59, 64, 67, 72 | Routes 250, 251, 200, 207, 302, 304, 305, 318, 905, 906, 907, 908 | 850m (11 minutes) from Flinders Street Station |
| Flagstaff | None | Routes, 30, 35 and 58 | Route 605 | 1km (13 minutes) from Southern Cross Station |
Note that the official PTV webpages for each of these stations contain some errors, poor suggestions and confusing information.
I would recommend instead looking at this local area map for the Melbourne CBD which shows all public transport options. You can see similar information on my public transport map of Melbourne here.
Hopefully this has been useful. I have provided links to all of the official information below as well to assist.