People seem a little confused on how to get to the City Loop stations after the Metro Tunnel. Judging by how many people are trying to get to onto Frankston Loop services after Caulfield, there's a widespread misunderstanding of how this actually works, especially the fact that Town Hall & Flinders Street are essentially two sides of the same station, the same goes for State Library & Melbourne Central.
I made two infographics, one from each direction (please excuse the dodgy design skills). This is only for going to the city. Broadly you can do the reverse if you're wanting to go outbound, but please know that the platforms listed will be different, and sometimes you might find it quicker to go to Flinders Street instead of Melbourne Central, or vice versa.
Further note for Frankston line commuters: If you want to go directly to Flinders Street and skip the loop, change at Richmond for a Flinders Street service from Platform 1 or Platform 7.
Posted by the_xrod
17 Comments
There would by less confusion if they’d called the new stations “Flinders St tunnel” and “Melbourne Central tunnel”.
If you want to get to Parliament from Sunbury line you can also change at Footscray; depending on the time of day it might be faster?
Honestly don’t mind changing stations but I wish they had made changing at Footscray easier
Not an expert but why wasn’t Town Hall and State library just integrated to be part of Flinders Street and Melb Central? Why not just connect the “two stations” that are right next to each other. Have signs indicating which lines. Have signs indicating exits.
Tbh I’d I lived on that line and wanted to get near North Melbourne Station, I’d probably just get off Arden and walk.
So to clarify, as someone on the Sunbury line – if I’m going to the footy at Docklands, I should just go fuck myself?
Or drive
God knows how some of these people ever function when going overseas. I don’t even have daily access to a train line in Melbourne and had this figured out in about 2 mins.
Surely changing at state library back to parliament will be better than changing at Malvern and stopping all stations.
From Cranbourne/Pakenham you would change at State Library for Parliament, not at Caulfield or Malvern.
Your advice about Parliament is unhelpful to the core Frankston Line suburban commuters.
Passengers on Metro for Parliament should stay onboard until State Library and transfer to the loop and go one station clockwise. It’s surely quicker too (an express service!). What you suggest here overcrowds the saturated Frankston line with Parliament passengers at Caulfield making it more difficult for local Frankston line passengers to board or alight their service in peak hours to get into the city at all. Remembering too that Frankston does not have any additional services timetabled above its normal load – unlike the metro with its 1000 extra trains – nor does it have high capacity trains.
This is so fucked and makes getting to the city take even longer. Absolutely embarrassing
hmmm more troubles
South Yarra, change at Anzac for 58 to Toorak
Flagstaff change at Parkville for 58 to Toorak
Melbourne Central change at Parkville for Routes 59 and 19 to Flinders Street
I think it’s crazy that they completely removed the Pakenham and other SE burb trains doing the usual loop. These new stations mean I had to get off and take trams. And btw Flinders and town Hall are not that close. I didn’t see any connection between the stations. I got out and took a tram. Then they said “overhanging wires issue… Please go back to Flinders”. WOT
Thank you, This is helpful!
all of this for ONE rail line being changed?
Thanks for the infographic. I am pretty across this stuff but the boomers I know have trouble adjusting. I think I might do guerrilla postering and stick this up sneakily at my local station, because fir some reason metro/ got didn’t bother to make one themselves.