Editing City Loop (section)

==History==
Before the City Loop was constructed, Flinders Street and Spencer Street (now called [[Southern Cross railway station|Southern Cross]]) stations were connected only by the four track [[Flinders Street Viaduct]] beside the [[Yarra River]]. The suburban terminus of Flinders Street had become seriously congested by the 1970s, with a throughput of only ten trains per [[Railway platform|platform]] per hour (roughly 1,700 trains a day) — compared to a maximum of 24 if there was through running.<ref name="elect92">{{cite book | author = S.E. Dornan and R.G. Henderson | title = Electric Railways of Victoria | publisher = Australian Electric Traction Society | page = 92 | year = 1979 | isbn = 0-909459-06-1 }}</ref> Many trains were [[Cross-city route#Through routes|through routed]] from the southern and eastern suburbs to the north and west, but the flow was imbalanced and a number of trains were required to reverse their direction.<ref name="elect92" /> The [[Mernda railway line|Epping]] and [[Hurstbridge railway line|Hurstbridge]] lines stood alone from the rest of the network, having [[Princes Bridge railway station|Princes Bridge station]] for their own exclusive use.

Several plans had been proposed over the preceding decades to alleviate the [[Bottleneck (traffic)|bottleneck]]. The one that was adopted was the building of a circular railway allowing trains to continue past Flinders Street, loop around and return to the suburbs. It was expected to boost platform capacity, allowing more trains per platform per hour on the same number of Flinders Street platforms. The loop would also bring train [[Commuting|commuters]] directly into the northern and eastern sections of the CBD, delivering [[Employee|worker]]s closer to their offices, students closer to [[RMIT University]], and government officials directly to the [[Parliament House of Victoria|Parliament buildings]]. Although the city's [[List of Melbourne tram routes|tram network]] already covered the CBD extensively, [[tram]]s are not as efficient as trains when bringing large numbers of commuters into the city.

===Planning===
[[File:Plan of Proposed Melbourne Underground Railway c1930-50.jpg|alt=Map of the Melbourne Town Planning Commission's 1929 plan for a city rail tunnel, a precursor to the City Loop.|thumb|Melbourne Town Planning Commission's 1929 plan for a city rail tunnel, a precursor to the City Loop.]]
Plans for an underground city railway in Melbourne are almost as old as electrification of the network itself. In 1929, the [[Metropolitan Town Planning Commission]] released a report recommending an underground city bypass from [[Richmond railway station, Melbourne|Richmond]] to [[North Melbourne railway station|North Melbourne]] stations via [[Exhibition Street|Exhibition]] and [[Victoria Street, Melbourne|Victoria]] streets.<ref name=lf>{{cite web
 |url=http://rtsa.com.au/assets/2008/03/rapid-transit-by-l-fouvy.pdf 
 |author=C L Fouvy 
 |title=The Melbourne Region's Opportunity and need for Rapid Transit 
 |publisher=Railway Technical Society of Australasia 
 |access-date=20 July 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721025337/http://rtsa.com.au/assets/2008/03/rapid-transit-by-l-fouvy.pdf 
 |archive-date=21 July 2008
}}</ref> The 1940 [[Victorian Railways]] [[Ashworth Improvement Plan]] recommended a different approach, with additional platforms at the [[Flinders Street railway station|Flinders Street]]/[[Princes Bridge railway station|Princes Bridge]] station complex to be built over two levels, along with a connection to an underground City Railway.<ref name=elect32 >{{cite book | author = S.E. Dornan and R.G. Henderson | title = Electric Railways of Victoria | publisher = Australian Electric Traction Society | page = 32| year = 1979 | isbn = 0-909459-06-1 }}</ref> The Victorian Railways promoted another route in 1950 as part of the [[Operation Phoenix (railway)|Operation Phoenix]] rehabilitation plan, the line running from [[Richmond railway station, Melbourne|Richmond]] towards [[Jolimont railway station|Jolimont station]], under the [[Fitzroy Gardens]] and [[Lonsdale Street]] then turning north to [[North Melbourne railway station|North Melbourne station]]. A branch line turned north from [[William Street, Melbourne|William Street]], and went through the [[Flagstaff Gardens]].<ref name=br1950>{{cite book |author=Public Relations and Betterment Board  |title=Operation Phoenix |publisher=Victorian Railway Commissioners |year=1950 }} (VR publicity brochure)</ref> In 1954 the [[Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works]] released their Planning Scheme for Melbourne report, which included the Richmond – North Melbourne Lonsdale Street route.<ref name=lf />

A Parliamentary Committee on Public Works reported favourably on a city loop in 1954, and in 1958 a City Underground Railway Committee was appointed by the Transport Minister. It stated bluntly that the aim of the loop was not just to relieve crowding at Flinders Street, but to win back [[patronage (transportation)|patronage]] from [[private railroad car|private cars]], and if it did not then the project was a waste of time and resources.<ref name=lee190>{{cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854–2004 |publisher=[[Melbourne University Publishing]] |year=2007 |isbn= 978-0-522-85134-2 |page=190}}</ref> The plan included four stations, being cut to the present three by the elimination of one under Latrobe Street.<ref name="elect92" />

[[File:MURLA-logo.png|thumb|Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority logo used during construction.|alt=Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority logo]]

The 'City of Melbourne Underground Railway Construction Act' was passed in 1960, and test bores were sunk by the Mines Department in 1961, but no funding was provided. Throughout the next few years many proposals were made for providing more [[car park]]ing in the city, so in 1963 the Government set up the Metropolitan Transportation Committee to look at both [[road transport|road]] and [[rail transport]]. It released a report in 1965 that included the same rail plan as the 1960 Act.<ref name=lee191>{{cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854–2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing |year=2007 |isbn= 978-0-522-85134-2 |page=191}}</ref>

===Construction===
[[File:Melbourne City Loop Museum Station, now Melbourne Central, under construction 1974 on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets 1.jpg|thumb|Construction of Museum station in July 1974, showing cut and cover excavation of [[La Trobe Street]], with the [[State Library Victoria|State Library of Victoria]] in the background.|alt=Construction of Museum station in July 1974, showing cut and cover excavation of La Trobe Street, with the State Library of Victoria in the background.]]

Following the [[1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan]], the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Act 1970 was introduced into parliament by Transport Minister [[Vernon Wilcox]], and the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority (MURLA) was created on 1 January 1971 to oversee the construction and operation of the loop. The [[City of Melbourne]], the [[Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works]] and the [[Victorian Railways]] all made annual contributions to support the operating costs of the authority.<ref name=lee191 /> An unsuccessful request for funding was made to the Federal Government.<ref name="elect92" />

The project was financed using [[debenture]]s, with the State Government paying 60% of the cost and a special city levy from 1963 funding the remainder. The levy was supposed to be in place for forty years (until 2003), but was ended in 1995.<ref name=lee191 /> A consortium of four engineering companies was established to construct the project: one from Australia, one from the United Kingdom, one from Canada and one from the United States of America. On 22 June 1971, the [[groundbreaking|first sod]] of the project was turned by Wilcox in the middle of the [[Jolimont Yard|Jolimont rail yards]].<ref>Melbourne Underground Loop: Construction Work Inaugurated ''[[Railway Transportation]]'' August 1971 pages 19-22, 36</ref><ref>Melbourne's underground takes shape ''[[Network (periodical)|Network]]'' September 1971 page 1</ref><ref name="elect93" >{{cite book | author = S.E. Dornan and R.G. Henderson | title = Electric Railways of Victoria | publisher = Australian Electric Traction Society | page = 93 | year = 1979 | isbn = 0-909459-06-1 }}</ref>

[[File:Melbourne City Loop Museum Station, now Melbourne Central, under construction 1974 with Coop's Shot Tower 1.jpg|thumb|Construction of Museum station in July 1974 looking towards [[Coop's Shot Tower]].|alt=Construction of Museum station in July 1974 looking towards Coop's Shot Tower.]]

[[Tunnel]]ling works under the city streets commenced in June 1972, using a [[tunnel boring machine]] built by Richmond engineering firm [[Jaques Limited]].<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/key-role-in-digging-rail-loop-20100523-w3zf.html ''The Age'' 24 May 2010, 'Key role in digging rail loop' Obituary GEOFFREY KEEGAN, AM, ENGINEER, CONSULTANT 20-10-1924 – 22-4-2010]</ref> as well as conventional boring methods. At North Melbourne, Spencer Street and Jolimont Yard, [[cut and cover]] tunnelling was used to build the access ramps, with the above ground running lines being slewed from time to time as work proceeded. The first completed [[tunnel]] was the [[Burnley, Victoria|Burnley]] Loop, with the final [[Tunnel hole-through|breakthrough]] made on 8 June 1977 near the Museum station site.<ref name="elect93" />

The loop comprises four [[single track (rail)|single-track]] tunnels on two levels, and includes +four pre-existing elevated tracks between Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations. A new [[double track]] [[concrete viaduct]] was erected beside the existing [[quadruple track]] [[Flinders Street Viaduct]] in order to replace capacity for non-loop trains. Construction began in 1975 and was completed in 1978.<ref name="elect93" /> Of the three new stations, Museum was built using the [[Tunnel#Construction|cut and cover]] method in a {{Convert|26|m|ftin|adj=mid|-deep}} box,<ref name="elect93" /> while Flagstaff and Parliament were excavated using [[mining]] methods. During the excavation of Museum station, [[La Trobe Street]] and its [[tram track]]s were temporarily relocated to the south onto the site of what is now the [[Melbourne Central Shopping Centre]] from December 1973, and were moved back in 1978.<ref name="elect93" />

The total length of tunnels in the loop is {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} with {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} of circular tunnels, and {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} of box tunnels. The four tunnels have an average length of {{convert|3.74|km|mi|abbr=on}}, with a further {{Convert|1|km}} of track connecting with surface tracks. Some {{convert|900000|m3|yd3|0|abbr=on}} of earth was removed and {{convert|300000|m3|yd3|0|abbr=on}} of [[concrete]] poured to form the stations and line the tunnel walls.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZZdDwAAQBAJ |title=Australia's Railways |publisher=Alison Hideki |year=2018 |pages=23|isbn=9781925630763 }}</ref>

[[File:Promotional poster for Museum Station, Melbourne, now Melbourne Central - Beginning a new era - Stage 1 of the City Loop, c. 1981.jpg|alt=Promotional poster to celebrate the opening of Museum station, now Melbourne Central, in 1981, with illustration of station platform.|thumb|Promotional poster to celebrate the opening of Museum station, now Melbourne Central, in 1981.]]

A "double sleeper" floating track system was used to solve the problem of ground-transmitted vibration and track noise, and the loop has some of the best-designed and quietest underground stations in the world.<ref name="lee191" /> At the time of its construction, Parliament station had the Southern Hemisphere's longest escalators.<ref name="murlbook">{{cite web |author=Metropolitan Transport Authority |title=MURL Booklet |url=http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/44507f9d12a4406cca25700c0012fe36/$FILE/MURL%20booklet.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090628211644/http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/44507f9d12a4406cca25700c0012fe36/$FILE/MURL%20booklet.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2009 |access-date=20 July 2008 |publisher=doi.vic.gov.au}}</ref>

Traction power was turned on in October 1980,<ref name="doi">{{cite web |url=http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/Doi/Internet/transport.nsf/AllDocs/74164766E0CEAF95CA25700500122952?OpenDocument |title=Public transport – City Loop history |author=Department of Infrastructure|publisher=doi.vic.gov.au |access-date=20 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090520044857/http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/transport.nsf/AllDocs/74164766E0CEAF95CA25700500122952?OpenDocument |archive-date=20 May 2009}}</ref> and the first test train ran on 4 December 1980.<ref>Off and Running ''[[VicRail News]]'' March 1981 page 3</ref><ref name="vicrail6283">{{cite book | author = Vincent Adams Winter | title = VR and VicRail: 1962 – 1983| year = 1990 | isbn = 0-9592069-3-0 <!-- This is a corrected ISBN and may not match the number printed in the book. --> | page = 206 }}</ref> In 1965, the cost of the project had been estimated at between £30 and £35 million but, by 1975, [[inflation]] had resulted in it rising to $255,600,000.<ref name="lee191" /> While the final cost was $500 million, the opening of the loop helped reverse a 30-year trend of falling suburban rail patronage.<ref name="murlbook" />

===Opening===
[[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] toured Museum station during her visit to Australia in May 1980, and opened the plaza on top of the Swanston Street entrance, which was named Queen Elizabeth Plaza.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Australia |first=Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet |date=28 May 1980 |title=Royal Visit Program, Wednesday 28 May 1980, N 394.40994 ROY |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3066309527 |access-date=7 February 2023 |website=Trove |language=en}}</ref> Two short [[documentary film]]s, ''Loop'' and ''Action Loop'', were commissioned by the MURLA to advertise the new railway to Melburnians, as well as abroad.<ref name="doi" /> A third film was planned, but never shot.<ref name="doi" />[[File:Escalators at Parliament railway station 2.jpg|alt=Escalators at Parliament station in Melbourne.|thumb|When it opened in 1985, Parliament station had the longest escalators in Australia.]]The loop was opened gradually between 1981 and 1985. Museum station and the Burnley and [[Caulfield, Victoria|Caulfield]] tunnels opened first, on 24 January 1981.<ref name="doi" /><ref>Melbourne Underground Rail Options ''[[Trolley Wire]]'' issue 192 February 1981 page 25</ref> The City Circle tunnel opened with special services on 6 December 1981, and [[Clifton Hill railway station|Clifton Hill]] services started using the loop on 31 October 1982. Parliament station opened on 22 January 1983, the Northern tunnel on 7 January 1985 (14 January 1985 with limited services) and Flagstaff station on 27 May 1985.<ref name="doi" />

===Recent===
In 2021, seven-car [[High Capacity Metro Train]]s were introduced to the City Loop on the Caulfield tunnel.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Hui |first=Jin |date=24 February 2021 |title=A new direction for commuters |url=https://berwicknews.starcommunity.com.au/news/2021-02-24/a-new-direction-for-commuters/ |access-date=6 February 2023 |website=Berwick Star News |language=en-US}}</ref> As part of that, signalling infrastructure was altered and operations of the Caulfield loop were changed to run consistently anti-clockwise around the loop all-day, every day.<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The biggest timetable change in 40 years |url=https://www.metrotrains.com.au/the-biggest-timetable-change-in-40-years/ |access-date=6 February 2023 |website=www.metrotrains.com.au |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2023, the City Loop and its three stations were closed for two weeks to allow for major safety upgrades to the stations and tunnels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Department of Transport |first=Victorian |date=2022 |title=City Loop upgrade powering ahead |url=https://transport.vic.gov.au/about/transport-news/news-archive/city-loop-upgrade-powering-ahead}}</ref> The works will upgrade smoke detection systems, extraction systems, fire detection, fire hydrants, CCTV, and intruder-detection systems.<ref name=":9"/> The upgrade was originally started under the [[Napthine Ministry|Napthine Liberal government]] in 2014 and was significantly delayed after the collapse of the contractor while works were underway.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Eddie |first=Rachel |date=7 May 2022 |title=City Loop summer standstill could derail recovery, says restaurant group |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/city-loop-summer-standstill-could-derail-recovery-says-restaurant-group-20220503-p5ai9t.html |access-date=28 January 2023 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref> The cost ballooned from an estimated $43 million in 2014 to $469 million in 2023.<ref name=":9" />