[size=7]No Metro Trains for World Cup fans[/size]

[size=3]THOMAS HUNTER
June 10, 2010 - 12:47PM[/size]

Metro will not be running extra trains to cater for soccer fans planning to watch Australia's opening World Cup match against Germany on the big screen at Birrarung Marr.

The embattled rail operator today said there would be no special services to Flinders Street Station for the thousands of Socceroo fans expected to flood the CBD on Monday for the 4.30am kick-off.

Instead, commuters are being asked to catch Nightrider buses into the city if they want to watch the match.

Metro spokesman said trains would run to a weekend timetable on Monday, which is the Queen's Birthday public holiday.

Trains would be available to carry people home after the game finishes, he said.

"People are going to be encouraged to get the Nightrider bus into the game and then the train home from the game," he said.

However, there is confusion over whether Nightrider will actually be running services on Monday morning.

According to the Nightrider website, the buses - which normally cater for nightclubbers - do not run on Sunday nights.

The Age understands Metlink is still waiting for confirmation that special Nightrider services will be available to ferry commuters into the city for Monday morning’s match.

Opposition Transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the public transport arrangements for soccer fans were a ‘‘shambles’’.

‘‘This shows how fragmented Victoria’s public transport has become after a decade of a Labor government,’’ he said.

The Age has contacted Victorian Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula for comment.

The Metro website said services on Mpnday would be running to a Saturday timetable.

That means the first Alamein train will leave for the city at 4.58am, while the first train on the Sandringham line departs at 5.02am.

The earliest Frankston train leaves for Flinders Street at 4.17am, while passengers from Dandenong will leave at 4.44am. Kick-off is at 4.30am.

Federation Square was abandoned in May as a site for live World Cup broadcasts over fears that crowd sizes ted to handling crowds ofcould pose a safety threat to Socceroos fans.

Victorian Sports Minister James Merlino said Birrarung Marr was chosen as the alternative because it was better suited to large crowds. He said crowds of more than 15,000 could attend some of the Socceroos' group games.

Looks like I'll be on the pushbike again, I'll dink you Torres!

Why dont we start a melbs lift thread and anyone with a car thats travelling into the city can look for anyone that needs a lift. If the person chips in 10 - 15 bucks for petrol couldn't be all that bad???

Do you drive a hummer?

The trains would be late anyways.

Another reason why Sydney >>> Melbourne.

geez $40 you got it easy. Its $100 from Frankston to the city.

And Metro is the worst operator ever. They fail at everything.

HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE

The ferries will be running an hour later too - so instead of finishing at 10.30, they'll be finishing at 11.30 on weekdays.

There aren't many of them though..... :-"

That doesn't help you much for games that kick off at 4:30am.

Ferries are running again by then I think.

Connex didnt set the bar to high and Metro managed to miss it by a mile.

I know that the system needs billions pumped into it but connex managed to do okay compared to metro.

To be fair, it's the same morons running the show as connex. The whole system needs an overhaul instead of a different name getting the profits.

Why hang our with a bunch of bandwagoners in the CBD, get a few mates to your house, some 24-hour McDonalds and away you go. The crwods that go to those squares are bandwagoner types.