Commuters face hour-long delays on the Cranbourne/Pakenham train line at various stages over 17 days between March 30 and April 15, as two level crossings at Clayton are removed. Meanwhile, trams on St Kilda Road will not run over Easter, as work starts on the Melbourne Metro Tunnel's new Anzac Station. Passengers using the Gippsland V/Line service will be among the worst affected and have been warned of 90-minute delays during peak hour. Trams won't run down St Kilda Road over Easter. Credit:Michael Clayton Jones Commuters who choose to take replacement buses or drive to work will be met with roadworks on the West Gate Freeway, Monash Freeway and Hoddle Street.

Mr Andrews apologised for the delays, but said the upgrades were necessary for the fast-growing state. “This will cause significant disruption, it will be an inconvenience for many thousands of Victorians, and we apologise for that … and the clear impact these works will have,” he said. “Whilst there will be inconvenience and disruption now, it pales in significance when you think about the challenge this will pose to the liveability of our city and productivity of our economy, if we weren’t to get this done. “The alternative is to find ourselves in complete and utter gridlock, not for 44 days, but as a permanent state of paralysis.” The construction will start on March 16, just as the 2018 AFL season kicks off, and the government is ordering an additional 300 buses to replace trains and trams, which will be in high demand.

The Hurstbridge line will be shut down, as two level crossings at Lower Plenty and Grange Roads are removed, parts of the line duplicated, and Rosanna station rebuilt. Buses to replace trains on key train lines From March 16 to April 29, buses will replace trains between Clifton Hill and Greensborough/Macleod stations on the Hurstbridge line.

From March 30 to April 15, buses will replace trains between Caulfield and Westall stations on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line.

From March 23 to 26, buses will replace trains between Dandenong and Cranbourne stations on the Cranbourne line.

From March 30 to April 2, buses will replace trains between Oakleigh and Dandenong on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line. Half hour delays will hit commuters on all tram routes on St Kilda Road between Commercial Road and the Shrine of Remembrance between April 5 and 17. Buses will replace route 58 trams on St Kilda Road, between Toorak Road West and Park Street in South Melbourne, between April 1 from 8pm and April 17.