Voices for Melbourne targets Metro Tunnel opening to help revive city

Voices for Melbourne’s Lord Mayoral candidate Greg Bisinella says a domestic tourism campaign leveraging next year’s Metro Tunnel opening was needed to “bring Victorians back to the city”. 

Mr Bisinella, who until recently served as president of East Melbourne residents’ organisation the East Melbourne Group, said leveraging the Metro Tunnel’s new stations would “help spark activity and revitalisation”. 

“Melbourne is buzzing beneath the surface, and with the Metro Tunnel, we’ll bring that energy straight up to the streets of Melbourne,” Mr Bisinella said. 

“We’re not mandating office returns or relying on gimmicks like free coffee; we’re working to make sure people want to get onboard and inviting people to experience a Melbourne they’ve never seen before.”

Mr Bisinella, who is running alongside candidate for Deputy Lord Mayor and Carlton resident Megan Stevenson, said connectivity was key to the city “just as it was in the 1990s” with the spread of laneway culture and the closure of Swanston St to traffic. 

He added that these were “bold initiatives taken by the council in collaboration with the state government and they worked”. 

Transforming Swanston St into “a vibrant pedestrian zone” is central to Voices for Melbourne’s policy to leverage the new-look precincts surrounding Town Hall and State Library Stations. 

Mr Bisinella said under the plan, Swanston St trams would be slowed to 5km/h to allow the streets to be taken over with dining, markets, and live entertainment in “city-wide consultation with community, businesses and other stakeholders”. 

“This is about creating a full economic and cultural revival,” Mr Bisinella said. “We’ll get Melbourne’s foot traffic roaring back by making events, festivals, and entertainment accessible to all, day and night.”

A recent Walk the CBD report by Fitzroys showed that Swanston St was the “biggest improver” when it came to retail vacancies in the CBD, citing tenants taking up space “around the future Metro Tunnel station entrances”. 

With the Metro Tunnel to free up capacity across Melbourne’s train network and the City Loop, Melburnians can expect more frequent and reliable services, which Mr Bisinella said would “spark a new era of urban excitement” in the CBD. 

The Voices for Melbourne council ticket will be led by grassroots activist and West Melbourne resident Mary Masters in the number one position, while Carlton resident James Robertson will run in the number two spot. •