Metro Tunnel
The Metro Tunnel (sometimes also known as the Melbourne Metro Rail Project or the Metro Rail Capacity Project) is a metropolitan rail infrastructure project currently under construction in Melbourne, Australia. It includes the construction of twin 9-kilometre rail tunnels between South Kensington station (north west of the Melbourne City Centre) and South Yarra (in the south east) with five new underground stations. The southern portal for the tunnel is to be located to the south of South Yarra station. As a result, the tunnel will connect the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines with the Sunbury line, and allow these lines to bypass Flinders Street station and the City Loop while still stopping in the Melbourne central business district.
Robert Risson
Risson was a defender of trams at a time when they were falling out of favour across Australia. He is often regarded as a major factor in the retention of Melbourne's tram network, which now has a route length of , making it the largest tram network in the world. Academic Graeme Turnbull argues that "the view has been frequently expressed that the retention of the Melbourne tramway system during this period, is due almost solely to Sir Robert's strong management." While academic John Legge wrote in 2006 that "Melbourne's tram network in the years after the war found that Risson still knew how to fight. Premiers as tough as Henry Bolte backed away from such a contest." Further, Victorian Transport Minister Alan Brown called Risson "the man who deserves full credit for saving out city's trams" in 1994, and columnist Bruce Guthrie described Risson as "the man who saved our trams."