Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (17:34): (1577) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and it concerns the significant reduction in train services at South Yarra station and the impact that this is having on residents in Prahran and surrounding suburbs. The action I seek is for the Allan Labor government to listen to the community and provide Metro Tunnel access from Hawksburn station.

Over recent weeks many constituents have contacted me, concerned and frustrated about the massive cut in services at South Yarra following Labor’s so-called big switch. As part of the changes associated with the Metro Tunnel, the Cranbourne line and the Pakenham line have been removed from South Yarra, one of the busiest and most strategically located stations in the network. South Yarra is not an infrequently used stop; it is a critical interchange for commuters travelling to employment hubs, universities and even to Parliament. The removal of these lines has significantly reduced connectivity and flexibility for passengers who rely on city loop access. For many commuters who need to travel to Parliament railway station or Flagstaff railway station in particular, the changes mean that they must now board already crowded Frankston line services or travel via the Sandringham line to Flinders Street railway station and change there. Cranbourne and Pakenham line passengers requiring the city loop need to change all the way back at Caulfield or use the interchange at Town Hall, both options adding to the journey time. In peak hour this is not a minor inconvenience, it is a daily frustration that actually adds significant time and stress and uncertainty to people’s commutes.

What is particularly disappointing is that the outcome was not inevitable. Labor could have connected South Yarra to the Metro Tunnel; they chose not to. They could have alternated services between the city loop and the Metro Tunnel to preserve connectivity and passenger choice, and they chose not to. Instead residents are now dealing with the consequences of what many see as poor planning and a lack of foresight about how people actually use the network. As a practical workaround, there is an opportunity to improve the services to the local area by ensuring Metro Tunnel services stop at Hawksburn station. Hawksburn railway station is well positioned to support local commuters and would help alleviate some of the pressures currently being felt at South Yarra station and across the network. This would not undo the broader structural decisions that have been made, but it would demonstrate a willingness of the Allan Labor government to listen to the community concerns and make more considered adjustments that are actually needed. The Allan Labor government should review the timetable and make changes so that the Metro Tunnel services stop at Hawksburn.