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Melbourne road and train major disruptions to start on friday.

Melbourne’s west told to stay home to avoid road and rail disruptions

There are major disruptions about to start for Melbourne commuters on both the road and public transport networks and some residents have even been advised to work from home to avoid it.

From Friday night, mutiple roads will close as part of government works and some will not reopen until the end of August.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Melbourne’s west told to stay home to avoid road and rail disruptions.

This includes Dynon Rd in West Melbourne, which closes in both directions between Dryburgh St and the inbound exit from the Citylink from 8pm Friday until August 31.

The outbound entry from Geelong Rd in Brooklyn to the Princes Fwy will also close from Friday night until August 2.

On the rail network, buses will replace trains on the Sunbury line over the weekend and then on Werribee and Williamstown lines from June 23 until July 9.

Residents in the western suburbs have said it can be a “nightmare” to commute in the area at the best of times.

“It is impossible. An extra 35 minutes to an hour (delays). Coming home is the big problem and could be up to two hours,” one resident told 7NEWS.

Daniel Bown from the Public Transport Users Association said commuting from the western suburbs is about to get “a whole lot more chaotic”.

On Thursday, Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll advised residents in Melbourne’s west should work from home if they can during the shutdown.

Road disruptions

The western suburbs are not the only ones being affected by the disruptions, with many other roads affected by level crossing removal works.

McGregor Rd in Pakenham will close between Heritage Blvd and Duncan Dr from Friday untl June 18 and motorists should allow up to 10 minutes extra if travelling through the area.

Glen Huntly Rd is now shut between Booran and Grange Rds until mid-July and Neerim Rd in Caulfield East is closed between the same streets for two weeks.

Motorists on Wurundjeri Way in Docklands will also face delays until the end of October, with the road reduced to a single lane in both directions between Dudley St and Collins St.

Public transport disruptions

On the public transport network, Frankston line commuters are facing bus replacements on sections of their journey until early August.

Coaches will also replace trains on the Gippsland line between Southern Cross, Traralgon and Bairnsdale until June 25 and commuters have been asked to allow an extra hour for the journey.

Buses are replacing trains on the Pakenham line between Berwick and Pakenham until June 21 and also on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines between Burnley and Westall until June 18.

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For information on emergency road closures and on-road traffic incidents, such as crashes and breakdowns, visit the VicRoads website.

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Information about major road projects, roadworks and planned new roads is available on VicRoads website. 

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Train, tram and bus project information is available on the Department of Transport website.

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Victoria 13 11 70 https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

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Australia's biggest city has a car problem. What should Melbourne do to fix it?

Cath Lorenz predicts that in a couple of years, everyone in her Melbourne household will own a car.

She and her husband each have a car, their 19-year-old daughter has one and their teenage son will likely get his own wheels when he turns 18.

Ideally, it wouldn't be this way, the Heidelberg Heights resident admits.

Ms Lorenz comes from a family of train enthusiasts, and believes public transport is the best way to travel.

Yet work and family commitments require her to travel from one side of Melbourne to the other — routes that are near impossible or lengthy via train and bus.

It means she feels she has no choice but to own a car.

"We're all pretty good with the public transport thing," Ms Lorenz said.

"But it's the difference between an hour-and-a-half of travel time, compared to maybe 30 or 40 minutes.

"It's the reality of living in Melbourne." 

Data suggests Ms Lorenz was not alone.

The number of registered vehicles in Victoria has continually risen in the past decade — and since 2021, at a rate faster than population growth.

ABC analysis of Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics data found the number of vehicles per person had grown to 810 per 1,000 people in 2023.

It represents the largest increase in the country at 4.1 per cent, and amounts to an additional 209,000 vehicles, with about half of those being standard cars.

Vehicle sales data suggests this trend has continued into 2024.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data showed Victorian motor sales in 2023 outperformed 2022 by 12.5 per cent — and 2024 numbers are already outpacing last year's growth.

This was happening despite more Melburnians working remotely since the COVID pandemic. So what's going on?

Melbourne's population is growing — and so is traffic

Graham Currie, Professor of Public Transport at Monash University, said it was due to a few reasons.

One was Melbourne's population growth, which had been increasing at a faster rate than any other Australian city.

The only time Melbourne's population stopped growing in the past 20 years was during COVID.

But now it had bounced back and reached its highest point yet.

The growth amounted to about 450 people moving to Melbourne each day.

A significant portion of those people were establishing themselves in council areas on Melbourne's fringe, where the most housing growth is happening.

They included Hume in the north, Wyndham and Melton in the west, and Casey in the east.

But those areas were new compared with the rest of Melbourne, and residents have consistently spoken out about the need for more public transport . 

Professor Currie said this had led households having no choice but to buy cars .

"With Melbourne's growth, we put more and more people far from anywhere near public transport," Professor Currie said.

"We get this thing called forced car ownership, which is where low-income groups in Australia who are trying to eke out a living for their families have jobs in places where they're going to need cars."

ABS data showed those council areas on Melbourne's fringe had a higher proportion of households with three or more cars.

Figures from the Australian Automobile Association also reflected this trend.

They showed the highest increases in registrations between 2021 to 2023 were on Melbourne's fringe, in the Hume, Wyndham, Casey and Melton council areas.

But the data also showed the increases in vehicle registrations were not just on the city's outskirts.

Nearly every council area in Melbourne recorded a rise, except Boroondara in the city's inner east, which saw a tiny drop.

Dr Currie said because public transport had generally not kept up with population growth across the board, Melbourne was a car-oriented city.

He said it was then expected that vehicle ownership would grow across Melbourne, as the population had increased virtually everywhere.

"As population grows so does travel, and since cars dominate, it follows that car ownership grows."

Melburnians turn away from public transport

Melbourne's residents aren't just registering more vehicles — they're driving them more too.

A recent Committee for Melbourne report found the city had become more dependent on car travel since COVID compared with similar cities across the globe.

It said more than three-quarters of trips were taken by car over other forms of transport, which was a rate similar to many US cities.

The report compared this with Sydney, where the rate was closer to two-thirds, and in Berlin and London, where it was less than a third.

Professor Currie said more people were choosing to drive their car than take public transport since the COVID pandemic.

Data from the Department of Transport showed Melburnians were using trams and trains at about two-thirds of the rate they did before 2019.

"People have shifted from public transport use to car use," he said.

"This is because they are still worried about infection, even though public transport is very safe."

Liam Davies, from the Centre of Urban Planning at RMIT, said while research had not been conclusive in this space, he suspected travel patterns had also changed since COVID, putting more people on the road.

He attributed this to higher work from home rates than before the pandemic.

This had been highlighted in a national ABS survey, which found 33.9 per cent of employees usually worked from home, compared with 38.9 per cent in August 2023.

"For someone who works at home and finishes at 5 o' clock, it means they could then spend some of their travel time budget visiting friends or family," Dr Davies said.

"But our public transport system is designed to move people from population centres to employment centres — it's not equipped to getting people to their family and friends, so people are defaulting to the car."

Marion Terrill, transport policy expert formerly with the Grattan Institute, said it was likely there would be even more cars on the road with increased purchases of electric vehicles.

"They're much more visible now than two years ago, and they're really cheap to drive," Ms Terrill said.

"I think unless governments do something about it, it is a recipe for gridlock."

Calls for transport policy changes

The upward trend in vehicle ownership wasn't isolated to Victoria — registrations had increased across the country, and in some places, at a pace faster than population growth.

Victoria's 209,814 came second to Queensland, which saw the highest increase, adding an estimated 253,801 vehicles.

New South Wales was third, registering 200,379 in two years.

These factors have put Australia's per capita rates of vehicle ownership up there with the highest in the world.

"We are currently a car-dependent Los Angeles — we're going down that path," Dr Currie said.

Dr Currie said research showed car-dependence and traffic congestion contributed to worse environmental and health outcomes.

"Livability is very poor in car-dominated cities, particularly if they're growing," he said.

"We're all spending more time on the roads and it's unproductive time — we should be walking and cycling more for local travel."

Victorian government commits billions in transport projects

To address population growth, the Victorian government had committed billions of dollars into a number of road and public transport projects.

Road projects included the West Gate Tunnel, the North East Link and the removal of 110 level crossings across Melbourne by 2030.

Transport projects included the Metro Tunnel in Melbourne's CBD, the Suburban Rail Loop in the south-east, and the upgrading of trams, trains and buses across the network.

"Since 2015 we've added more than 2,000 metro and regional train services and more than 20,000 buses to keep up with growth across our growing state," a Victorian government spokesperson said.

While Dr Currie was supportive of these public transport projects, he said many were some way off.

"The balance is that car use is still attractive," he said.

He said government needed to change population growth patterns across Melbourne, so the city stopped expanding on its outskirts where there was less public transport available.

The Victorian government had taken steps towards this in their Housing Statement, which aimed to build thousands of homes in areas of Melbourne which have existing transport infrastructure .

"The more development we have in areas with good transit, the more the private car isn't the best alternative," he said.

But Dr Terrill said the easiest and cheapest solution was to implement congestion charge.

While owners of off-street car parking spaces in parts of inner Melbourne already have to pay a congestion levy, Ms Terrill said it needed to go further.

It involved putting a small charge on vehicles that want to travel through congested areas at the busiest times of day.

"What it does is it just gives a small signal every single time for people that if people want to occupy scarce road space, that there's a consequence for the whole community and to sort of reflect that in a small price."

Ms Terrill said other cities in the world had introduced such charges, like Singapore, Stockholm and London, the accumulated charge would then be invested in alternative sustainable transport.

Dr Currie said the outcome was in policy-makers' hands.

"It depends what future we want to take," he said.

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Public transport and road works heat up this summer

Work on major transport infrastructure projects may affect the way you travel into and around Melbourne this December and January.

Find out about the major planned disruptions coming up near you.

Melbourne’s CBD

From 9pm, Monday 2 January to last train, Sunday 15 January, Flagstaff, Melbourne Central and Parliament stations will be closed. Trains will run between Flinders Street Station and Southern Cross Station.

The closure will mean crews in the City Loop can work around the clock to upgrade smoke detection, smoke extraction, and sprinkler systems.

Melbourne’s west

The Department of Transport is conducting annual maintenance works on the West Gate Bridge from Monday 26 December to Wednesday 4 January. Four outbound lanes will be closed, with only 1 outbound lane open to traffic.

As the tunnel boring machines building the West Gate Tunnel surge past the halfway mark, Dynon Road will be closed from Dryburgh Street to the inbound CityLink exit ramp until Wednesday 21 December.

Significant delays are expected across Melbourne, including on the West Gate Freeway between the city and the West Gate Bridge , as well as the Domain Tunnel .

Melbourne’s north and east

Buses replace trains on parts of the Hurstbridge and Alamein lines from Monday 2 January to Sunday 15 January.

Upgrade works will mean lane closures on and around Craigieburn Road .

Melbourne’s south east

The Metro Tunnel team are continuing to prepare for opening in 2025, with works at Caulfield Station . To allow the works to proceed safely, buses will replace trains on sections of the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston, and Stony Point lines from Wednesday 4 January to Friday 27 January.

Major road upgrades will cause lane closures on and around Hall Road and Narre-Warren–Cranbourne Road .

The Monash Freeway will be closed in both directions at Warrigal Road for overnight works from Monday 9 January to Thursday 12 January, 8pm to 5am each night.

The Princes Freeway will close overnight between the Princes Highway and Beaconsfield Interchange from Monday 9 January to Tuesday 24 January.

Regional Victoria

Regional Rail Revival and Metro Tunnel works on the Gippsland Line continue, with coaches replacing trains from Wednesday 4 January to Tuesday 31 January.

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Australia’s best airport named as big changes made to Qantas terminal

A major Australian airport has been named the best in the Pacific the same week a huge project kicks off with big changes for Qantas passengers.

Travellers brace for chaos at airports

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Melbourne Airport has been named the best in Australia and the Pacific for the second year in a row.

The bustling airport was awarded the sought-after title at the 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards held in Frankfurt, Germany overnight.

On a global scale, Melbourne was ranked 19th on the prestigious list of the world’s top 100 airports .

Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus credited her team’s “focus on human interaction” and new amenities and dining and shopping options that opened in the last 12 months.

“Whether you work as the CEO or a cleaner, in customer service or in construction, everyone at Melbourne Airport is committed to enhancing our travellers’ journeys,” she said.

“Our ‘Stepping Forward’ program empowers all airport staff to assist passengers wherever they can, and we think that focus on human interaction is what sets us apart.”

Ms Argus said there were big improvements yet to come including a new runway, new roads and other terminal enhancements.

“We know there is still a lot of work to do, particularly in our international arrivals area, and that’s why we are working with our airline partners on future infrastructure plans, including an expanded international terminal and our third runway,” she said.

“There will be disruptions while we complete these works, but they are essential projects that will ensure we continue to grow in line with our city, and that we remain Australia’s favourite airport destination.”

One of those projects, which changes how Qantas domestic passengers use the airport, has kicked off this week (more on that below).

Melbourne Airport previously won the title in 2020, 2021 and 2023.

At the 2024 ceremony overnight, Adelaide Airport received the award for ‘best regional airport’ in Australia and the Pacific, and Perth Airport accepted the gong for ‘best airport staff service’ in Australia and the Pacific.

On the world list, Brisbane took out spot 32, Perth was ranked 52nd, Sydney was 55th, Adelaide was 65th and Gold Coast was 68th.

Doha’s Hamad International Airport was ranked the best in the world, booting Singapore Changi Airport from the top spot this year, which has previously won 12 times.

South Korea’s Incheon International Airport was ranked third best, followed by Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport, both in Japan’s capital, Tokyo.

Haneda Airport was also awarded world’s cleanest airport, while Narita Airport has the world’s best staff.

The Skytrax World Airport Awards have been going since 1999 and are determined by passengers in an annual global airport customer satisfaction survey, assessing customer service and facilities across more than 570 airports.

The questionnaires were completed by more than 100 nationalities from August 2023 to March 2024.

The Skytrax World Airline Awards, dubbed “the Oscars of the aviation industry”, are announced mid-year and dished up a sad result for Australia last year .

Qantas was considered the fifth-best airline in the world in 2022 but plummeted 12 spots to be ranked 17 in 2023.

Australia’s largest carrier also lost the title of ‘Best Airline in Australia / Pacific’ to Fiji Airways.

Changes at Qantas’ domestic terminal at Melbourne Airport

This year’s win for Melbourne Airport comes in the same week a major upgrade of security screening technology begins at Qantas’ domestic terminal.

The screening point will be rebuilt with new baggage screening and body scanning technology to bring it into line with Melbourne Airport’s other domestic terminals.

Construction of a new temporary screening point at the eastern end of the Qantas domestic terminal started this week and it will open in August, meaning passengers will no longer need to remove laptops, tablets or aerosols from their carry-on luggage.

Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos asked for patience while they finished transforming the terminal “into one of the best domestic facilities in the world”.

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“We have also spent tens of millions of dollars upgrading passenger amenities to increase their capacity, and improve accessibility, including the installation of adult change facilities, all gender bathrooms and assistance animal relief areas,” he said, adding the latest works were the “next piece of the puzzle”.

Mr Parashos warned: “Installing this new security equipment while keeping the terminal operational is a significant logistics challenge, and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we undertake this work.”

The project is expected to be completed by December 2025.

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Thousands of travellers are expected to move through the nation's busiest airport in the next 24 hours.

Aussies should prepare for what is going to be an extremely busy travel day with airports warning passengers to do this one specific thing.

Travellers left stranded following severe storms have been thrown a lifeline, with a change to the rules for Australia’s busiest airport.

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The latest UAE travel advice as heavy rain causes Dubai airport to flood

The United Arab Emirates has been hit by over a year’s worth of rainfall in just one day

Dubai , normally known for its arid climate and scorching year-round temperatures, has been hit by extreme flooding this week as the UAE saw a year and a half’s worth of rain in just one day. But what caused this extreme weather event – and is it still safe to travel? Here’s everything we know so far about the Dubai floods.

How bad are the floods in Dubai?

Dubai experienced severe flooding this week after heavy downpours on Monday and Tuesday. Footage of cars engulfed in water, streets turned into rivers and flooded homes have proliferated, while schools have shut and Dubai airport has ceased most operations.

Can I still travel?

Those in Dubai who want to travel home will face major disruptions as all outbound flights are delayed for the foreseeable. The airport started receiving some inbound flights on Thursday, but most flights in and out of Dubai have been cancelled or delayed. You should check with your airline for the latest.

UK passengers flying via Dubai with Emirates are entitled to an onward flight if their original flight is cancelled. Emirates should book you on with any airline, so long as the route goes to your final destination. However, with thousands of people waiting for flights both to and from Dubai, you can expect delays.

Have flights been cancelled?

All airlines using Dubai International Airport – one of the busiest airports in the world – have had to divert, cancel or delay flights. On Wednesday, Emirates announced it had suspended check-in for all passengers wanting to leave Dubai for the rest of the day, and British Airways cancelled their flights, too. 300 flights were cancelled and hundreds more were delayed, according to the BBC . 

Is Dubai airport even open?

Parts of Dubai airport were flooded this week causing the airport to shut down, but the airport is now open, if severely busy and more or less at a standstill. A statement on the airport’s website on Thursday reads: 

‘Check-in at Dubai International (DXB) has reopened for Emirates and flydubai flights operating out of Terminal 3, following the unprecedented weather experienced in the UAE.

There is currently a high volume of guests in Terminal 3 check-in area. Passengers should only come to Terminal 3 if they have received a confirmation from their airline regarding their flight departure. Please contact your airline for the latest information on your flight status.

We are working to process guests as quickly as possible and get everyone travelling to their destination.’

What caused the Dubai floods? 

Excessive rainfall in the region led to the Dubai floods. The city saw more than 142 millimetres falling between Monday and Tuesday. For context, the average rainfall over an entire year in Dubai is around 94 millimetres.

There has been a widespread misconception that the storm might have resulted from cloud seeding, a technique often employed by the UAE where clouds are manipulated to produce more rain. However, weather experts say the storm is consistent with extreme weather events caused by climate change.  Read more: What caused the UAE storm?

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