Melburnians trapped in the city’s west by nightmare road and rail works are using a river punt to bypass the daily horror commute.
The West Gate Punt is ferrying frustrated city workers under the West Gate Bridge from the west to Port Melbourne where they are just a short tram ride away from the CBD.
More than half of Melbourne’s rail network has bus replacement services this week as winter works cause major disruptions and delays across the Metro network.
The Punt outside the Science Works jetty ready to punt across The Yarra into Port Melbourne
Construction of the Metro Tunnel along the West Gate Freeway has caused traffic chaos for years
The West Gate Freeway this week
On Monday, nine of the network’s 16 lines were out of action, with roadworks rubbing salt into the wounds of long suffering residents in Melbourne’s west.
West Gate Tunnel project and related works have ramped up in recent weeks, reducing access onto the West Gate Bridge to just one lane from the west.
The commute chaos prompted Victorian Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll to advise residents in Melbourne’s west to work from home.
The punt, which has quietly operated in Melbourne for years, has become a viable relief to the commute pain, with pedestrians and cyclists able to access an easy and stress-free way to get across the Yarra River without travelling via the West Gate Bridge.
Cyclists can even take their bikes on board and make full use of popular cycling paths from Port Melbourne into the city and Port Phillip Bay areas.
The punt costs just $3 per crossing and runs regularly all day from 6.30am to 7pm.
Daily Mail Australia observed dozens of people using The Punt on Monday, crossing in front of a large ship as it made its way across the river.
Melbourne’s rail network has gone into meltdown as works take place across the metropolitan region
Morning, noon and night: The Punt ferries passengers across the river under the West Gate Bridge
The Punt is helping frustrated residents in Melbourne’s west avoid rail and road chaos
One user said she was fed-up with the endless rail and road works plaguing the western suburbs.
‘This is what Melbourne has become. I can just see this thing going down like a Greek ferry if this government can’t get things sorted,’ she said.
Hundreds of migrants were killed earlier this month when an illegal and overcrowded boat sank off Greece.
‘The commuter situation for people living in the west of Melbourne is an absolute disgrace,’ another fed up long term resident of the west said.
‘The West Gate Freeway is a carpark, the roadworks are never ending, the trains are regularly disrupted and for months one or the other of the carriageways on Footscray Road have been closed.
‘And now the government is encouraging people to use the bike Punt as an option for driving or taking the train. What is next? Will we be asked to swim or canoe from the west to the CBD?’
The commute chaos will get even worse on Sunday, July 9, with works and buses replacing trains on 10 lines.
Two level-crossing removals at Neerim Rd and Glen Huntly Rd means that passengers from Mordialloc will have to make the entire journey into the city by bus.
The Williamstown Ferry used to take cars across the river in the late 60s and early 70s
Melburnians are reverting to a river punt to avoid commute pain
Sunbury Line passengers will have to take the bus between Flagstaff and Sunshine for a week and buses are running from Newport and Williamstown to Flagstaff at nights.
Multiple roads closed as part of the government works, with some not reopening until the end of August.
This includes Dynon Rd in West Melbourne, which has closed in both directions between Dryburgh St and the inbound exit from the Citylink until August 31.
The outbound entry from Geelong Road in Brooklyn to the Princes Fwy has also closed until August 2.
The ferry service, which runs between Science Works jetty, Spotswood Jetty and Lorimer Street in Port Melbourne, has been operating quietly for years.
In years gone by, a similar ferry would take passengers and their vehicles across the river into town.
While many Melburnians cringe at the thought of making their way into town, some road users told Daily Mail Australia the drive into work has never been better.
‘I’ve been driving in like Charlton Heston from the Omega Man,’ one man said. ‘Everyone has been scared off the roads. It’s brilliant.’
