When you get back from the holiday break, there are lots of things to look forward to. Rooftop bars. Pools. Rooftop bar pools. Seeing your co-workers and one-upping each other's holiday stories.
Here's what you won't be looking forward to: your commute is going to take an additional hour and 15 minutes.
Thanks to the Big Build works upgrading train lines in Melbourne, the Cranbourne/Pakenham and Frankston lines are going to the dogs in January. There will be replacement buses on those lines, but the Victorian government warns that you should leave an extra 45 to 75 minutes to get where you're going.
There will also be overnight and weekend works on the Belgrave/Lilydale, Glen Waverley, Alamein, Sandringham, Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines. What does that mean, exactly? It means maybe pack an overnight bag if you're going out for a drink after work.
It's all in service of a good cause, as the lines are being upgraded to handle high-capacity trains and reduce congestion. Plus, we're getting a schmick new loop through the city.
Going a little further out? There will also be replacement buses on the Gippsland, Bendigo and Ballarat V/Line routes.
The works will take place over the late December/January period, and fingers crossed things are back to normal by the time school is back in session on January 29.