Four train stations in one of Victoria's most bushfire-prone areas will shut on Code Red fire days, leaving passengers stranded.
The final four stations on the Belgrave line will be closed when a Code Red is declared to protect the safety of Metro Trains staff.
Community workers say the decision will leave disadvantaged residents who rely on public transport stranded and in danger.
Belgrave is deep in the Dandenong Ranges, one of the most dangerous bushfire zones on Melbourne's outskirts.
"In the event of Code Red, it is not safe for customers or staff to be in the area so services would not operate in that section," Metro spokeswoman Sammie Black told AAP.
"We have assessed that the safest and closest station to change ends and return is Bayswater.
"A shuttle bus service will replace trains from Bayswater to Ferntree Gully, with all stations from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave closed."
No other line will be affected on a Code Red day.
Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service manager Tania Bevan says it's a lose-lose situation for Metro and passengers.
"It's understandable that Metro is looking after their drivers, but I also think there are some people who really could be left stranded," Ms Bevan told AAP.
Ms Bevan said locals needed to know in advance when the stations would be closed - but even then it would be tough for them.
"You're already talking about a lot of disadvantaged people, they can't afford motels, so then they're going to have to look for friends and relatives to put them up," she said.
"They may have pets. It's a huge logistical thing."
Emergency relief worker Peter Pieklo has worked with disadvantaged people in the region for 10 years and said Metro needed to offer solutions.
Code Red fire days are the worst possible conditions for fires, and residents are told to avoid forested areas, and consider leaving home a day early.
A Public Transport Victoria spokesman said it was up to individual operators to determine their own emergency plans.
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