Melbourne City Council is turning up the heat on the Napthine government to deliver the proposed Metro rail link, as councillors bristle over plans to reroute the tunnel around the CBD.

On Tuesday night the council voted to help find a way to fund the planned $9-11 billion project, even if it meant asking the community and businesses to chip in some cash.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Recent statements by Premier Denis Napthine have angered councillors, including the Premier's claims the need to close Swanston Street for two years to build the tunnel would divide Melbourne ''worse than the Berlin Wall''.

The comments have been widely interpreted as the government distancing itself from the project. It has been since been revealed the government is considering aligning the tunnel through Fishermans Bend, bypassing the CBD.