Metro working year-round to keep the network running smoothly

4 Oct 2022, Ruby MacKinnon

While many Melburnians are asleep, Metro’s maintenance and renewals teams are hard at work.

Melbourne’s metropolitan rail network has been transporting passengers and freight since 1856, and now with more than 65,000 passenger services every month, it’s a 24-hour job to keep it running smoothly.

Over the last year, the team replaced nearly six thousand metres of rail, more than four thousand metres of overhead wiring and six and a half thousand metres of new sleepers – the equivalent of 55 Eureka towers!

Metro spends around $12 million each week on infrastructure, trains and technology maintenance and renewal works across the metropolitan rail network.

With 1,000 kilometres of track and 226 stations to maintain, the team play a critical role in ensuring Melbourne’s rail network is always operating safely and efficiently.

From graffiti removal to vegetation management, and major works such as station pit renewals and building refurbishments, Metro works year-round, and in all weather, to ensure trains continue to operate for passengers.

This year, a three-year refurbishment of the historic Flinders Street Viaduct was completed, which will ensure this busy part of the network operates smoothly into the next century. The team clocked up almost 35,000 worker hours during this time.

Metro also introduced the EV120 ‘Evie’ track and overheads evaluation vehicle to the network.

The custom-built vehicle roams the entire rail network analysing the track and overheads, providing Metro with valuable data to make sure any issues are identified quickly.

Other key achievements for Metro’s maintenance and renewal team this year included:

The EV120 'Evie' track and maintenance vehicle roams the rail network evaluating the track and overheads, and provides Metro with valuable data to make sure the network keeps running smoothly. August marked Evie’s first year operating on the network.

For more than a century, the iconic Flinders Street rail bridge – known as the 'viaduct' – has served Melburnians by linking the inner and outer parts of the city. Hundreds of trains travel over this bridge every day and have done since that first photo was taken in 1911.

Removing 255,000m2 of graffiti across the network – equivalent to the surface area of 13 MCGs.
Replacing 16,000 tonnes of crushed rock (ballast) – more than the weight of 100 blue whales.
Installing 2,230 metres of new fencing – equivalent of the length of 44 Olympic swimming pools.
Refurbishing or upgrading 3 full level crossings, 14 platforms and 10 station pits

Metro has also been making improvements for a more sustainable train network, including reducing water consumption across the rail network by 35 per cent, upgrading infrastructure with sustainable materials (such as recycled plastic sleepers) and developing plans to future-proof operations.

72 per cent of the suppliers used by the team are Victorian-based, and 99 per cent of costs go to Australian businesses.