00:00For commuters, it'll simply be a new timetable, but for Stuart Johns, it's the culmination
00:08of three and a half years of work.
00:10I always describe it as you only get one go at something like this in your entire career,
00:14so for us it's a massive, massive day.
00:18Tomorrow, the metro tunnel will hit a new year, with 1,200 more weekly services to be
00:25added across the state.
00:29Getting together the revamped timetable is a complex task, Mr Johns says, with population
00:34and trained patronage figures, as well as public feedback, all used to forecast demand years
00:40in advance.
00:41That's done in five year increments, so we're looking right out into the 2050s at the moment
00:44to look at how Melbourne and Victoria will grow.
00:47Dubs the big switch, the new timetable will see Cranbourne, Sunbury and Pakenham services
00:52run through the metro tunnel every ten minutes, and every three to four minutes during peak
00:57hours.
00:58While the Frankston line will rejoin the city loop, meaning commuters won't need to change
01:02trains to get around the CBD.
01:04But public transport advocates say lines in Melbourne's east and northeast are missing
01:09out.
01:10For people to wait 40 minutes for a train is not going to encourage them out of their
01:14cars.
01:15We do need to get to a stage where we see more high frequency train services right across
01:19Melbourne.
01:20Town Hall will also be the only metro tunnel station open during night network hours.
01:25It seems like a missed opportunity, Parkville in particular would really benefit with university
01:31and hospital precincts around there.
01:31The state government continues to face criticism that while it's invested heavily in infrastructure,
01:38improvements to public transport services have lagged behind.
01:42It's promised that more services will be added in the years to come.
01:46So there's so many people will come.
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