Article: Chaos on roads, railways and tram lines

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From the Melbourne Age click here!

Chaos on roads, railways and tram lines

Chaos on roads, railways and tram lines
January 15, 2011

HEAVY rain has badly disrupted transport across Victoria, with flooding shutting down railway lines in the north-west for much of yesterday and delaying road travel and city train and tram services for much of the morning.

Hundreds of roads were shut in Victoria's north-west. The Calder Highway near Bendigo and the Western Highway near Stawell were closed for most of yesterday, and parts of the Surf Coast Highway were restricted. Forty kilometres of the Great Ocean Road remained closed between Lorne and Skenes Creek.

Trains to Maryborough were suspended yesterday morning. V/Line services to Ararat were suspended yesterday but will resume today.

In Melbourne, driving rain caused flash flooding, with cars stuck in deep water and the Yarra River bursting its banks. Roads were flooded in the north of the city as well as in South Melbourne, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Research, Tarneit and Maribyrnong.

There were widespread delays and cancellations on half of the city's rail lines, and tram services on the 96, 109 and 112 routes were disrupted.