Melbourne City Loop
The most misunderstood part of the Melbourne train system is undoubtedly the City Loop due to its complex and often unexplained operating patterns.
This section, with information unavailable elsewhere, will help you plan your travel and get the most from the loop.
What is the loop?
The loop comprises four underground railway lines beneath the centre of Melbourne. Loop services serve the three underground stations (Parliament, Melbourne Central and Flagstaff) plus Southern Cross and Flinders Street stations. Each underground loop station has four platforms. Platforms can only handle trains coming from one direction at a time, with most platforms switching direction just after 12:45pm on weekdays.
Underground Loop platform numbers & lines
Parliament, Melbourne Central & Flagstaff
Platform 1: Epping, Hurstbridge
Platform 2: Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, Sandringham (weekends only)
Platform 3: Williamstown, Sydenham, Craigieburn, Upfield, Werribee (off-peak only)
Platform 4: Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley
Flinders St Station platform numbers & lines
Platform 1: Epping, Hurstbridge
Platform 2/3: Lilydale, Belgrave, Glen Waverley, Alamein (peak loop services only), Blackburn (peak loop services only)
Platform 4/5: Sydenham, Craigieburn, Upfield. Werribee (off-peak only)
Platform 6/7: Pakenham, Cranbourne, Alamein (peak direct services only), Blackburn (peak direct services only)
Platform 8/9: Frankston, Sandringham (weekends only)
Platform 10/11: Werribee & Williamstown (peak only)
Platform 12/13: Sandringham (weekdays only)
Southern Cross Station platform numbers & lines
Platform 9: Epping, Hurstbridge
Platform 10: Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley
Platform 11: Sydenham, Craigieburn, Upfield. Werribee (off-peak only)
Platform 12: Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, Sandringham (weekends only)
Platform 14: Werribee (peak only), Williamstown (peak only)
Note: During off-peak times board Belgrave/Lilydale train for Alamein and Werribee train for Williamstown.
What service patterns exist?
Trains coming into the loop may operate either clockwise or anticlockwise. Then there are trains that avoid the loop altogether; these finish and start at Flinders Street. As mentioned before, all this varies, depending on the line, day of the week, time of day and even the individual service. The five main patterns are as follows:
* Weekday morning off-peak: Applies before the morning peak. Also applies after the morning peak until the 12:45pm reversal.
* Weekday morning peak: Applies during the morning peak period only.
* Weekday afternoon off-peak: Applies from the 12:45pm reversal until the afternoon peak. Also applies after the evening peak until last service.
* Weekday evening peak: Applies during the evening peak period only.
* Weekend: Applies all weekend.
Trains operating through Clifton Hill (ie Epping and Hurstbridge lines) are much simpler with just one weekday service pattern.
Service patterns by line
(Key: CW = clockwise, CCW = counterclockwise, Direct = direct to Flinders Street, not via loop, Change = change trains - no direct city service)
| Service Pattern > | M-F AM off-peak | M-F AM peak | M-F PM off-peak | M-F PM peak | Weekend |
| Epping | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW |
| Hurstbridge | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW |
| Lilydale | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW |
| Belgrave | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW |
| Alamein | Change | Direct | Change | Direct | Change |
| Glen Waverley | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CW |
| Pakenham | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW |
| Cranbourne | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW |
| Frankston | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW |
| Sandringham | Direct | Direct | Direct | Direct | Loop CCW |
| Williamstown | Change | Direct | Change | Direct | Change |
| Werribee | Loop CW | Direct | Loop CCW | Direct | Loop CCW |
| Sydenham | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW |
| Craigieburn | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW |
| Upfield | Loop CW | Loop CW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW | Loop CCW |
City Loop travel guide
If you wish to get from one city station to another, use the tables below to plan your trip.
First select the time you wish to travel; weekday mornings, afternoons or weekends.
Then choose your origin station from the left of the table. After picking the destination, you will be able to see if direct services run, and if so the platform you need to be on.
Where there is no direct service, you must either take a train outside the City Loop and another one back in or use a more direct service such as the City Circle tram.
Weekday mornings (before 12:45pm)
Notes
nds: no direct service. Take any train to Richmond or North Melbourne and transfer to city-bound loop train.
Trains on the Sandringham line operate to Flinders Street Station only. Passengers for other stations should change to a loop service at Richmond.
During morning peak periods some trains run to Flinders Street Station direct. These services include trains from Sandringham, Alamein, Blackburn, Werribee and Williamstown. Passengers wishing to travel to Flinders Street Station can save some time by changing to one of these services.
The order of stations traversed on each route is as follows. The platform numbers refer to loop stations.
Platform 1 clockwise: Jolimont - Flinders Street - Southern Cross - Flagstaff - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Jolimont
Platform 2 anticlockwise: South Yarra - Richmond - Parliament - Melbourne Central - Flagstaff - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Richmond - South Yarra
Platform 3 clockwise: North Melbourne - Flagstaff - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Flinders St - Southern Cross - North Melbourne
Platform 4 anticlockwise: Burnley - Richmond - Parliament - Melbourne Central - Flagstaff - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Richmond - Burnley
Weekday afternoons and evenings (after 12:45pm)
Notes
nds: no direct service. Take any train to Richmond or North Melbourne and transfer to city-bound loop train.
(*) most direct service.
Trains on the Sandringham line operate from Flinders Street Station and do not travel via the City Loop. Loop station passengers travelling to Sandringham should take the next available train on Platform 2 or 4 and change to the Sandringham train at Richmond.
During afternoon peak periods some trains at Flinders Street Station run direct to Richmond. These services include trains to Sandringham, Alamein and Blackburn. Eastern and southern suburbs passengers at Flinders Street Station who have just missed their loop service can often catch up by taking one of these direct trains and transferring at Richmond. You may also be able to meet your train at Parliament by boarding a Werribee, Sydenham or Upfield train at Platform 4/5 Flinders St Station or a Williamstown train on Platform 10.
The order of stations trains traversed on each route is as follows. The platform numbers refer to loop stations.
Platform 1 clockwise: Jolimont - Flinders St - Southern Cross - Flagstaff - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Jolimont
Platform 2 clockwise: South Yarra - Richmond - Flinders St - Southern Cross - Flagstaff - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Richmond - South Yarra
Platform 3 anticlockwise: North Melbourne - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Parliament - Melbourne Central - Flagstaff - North Melbourne
Platform 4 clockwise: Burnley - Richmond - Flinders St - Southern Cross - Flagstaff - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Richmond - Burnley
Weekends
Notes
nds: no direct service. Take any train to Richmond or North Melbourne and transfer to city-bound loop train.
Sandringham trains operate via the City loop on weekends.
The order of stations traversed on each route is as follows. The platform numbers refer to loop stations.
Platform 1 clockwise: Jolimont - Parliament - Melbourne Central - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Jolimont
Platform 2 anticlockwise: South Yarra - Richmond - Parliament - Melbourne Central - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Richmond - South Yarra
Platform 3 anticlockwise: North Melbourne - Southern Cross - Flinders St - Parliament - Melbourne Central - North Melbourne
Platform 4 clockwise: Burnley - Richmond - Flinders St - Southern Cross - Melbourne Central - Parliament - Richmond - Burnley
Key to station abbreviations used in diagrams above
Flagstaff: Flagstaff Station
FSS: Flinders Street Station
Joli: Jolimont Station
MC: Melbourne Central Station
NM: North Melbourne
Parliament: Parliament Station
Rich: Richmond Station
SCS: Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street Station)
Transposals
To reduce the knock-on effects of late-running, trains that go to Flinders Street via the City Loop or Southern Cross may form a train other than that stated in the timetable. For example, a late-running morning train from Pakenham (scheduled to then run from Parliament to Pakenham via Flinders Street) might end up going to Sandringham (which does not normally receive loop services) from Flinders Street. Similarly an afternoon train timetabled to go to Upfield from Southern Cross Station might be 'transposed' so it instead forms a Sydenham train at Flinders Street.
The Pakenham and Upfield trains might still have run from Flinders Street at the scheduled time but would have been formed by other trains. The result is that passeners waiting at Loop stations (and Southern Cross) might consider that their train was cancelled, when it in fact ran, but only from Flinders Street.
When transposals occur, the platform screens at Loop stations will go blank and then display "Take Next Train to Flinders Street". Announcements may also be made. These generally advise passengers to "take the next train to Flinders Street and change for a 'connecting' service". The term 'Connecting' is used in the same sense as it is on public transport maps, ie you can physically transfer to a service but the train is neither scheduled nor will wait for passengers arriving from another service.
This means that when there are transposals, time is of the essence. If you do not heed the advice to take the next train to Flinders Street (or a better point where you can join your train*), you will likely miss it.
Transposals are fairly common but without them the delays would continue much longer. Late-running gives rise to transposals, so if other trains from your platform are late, take the next train to Flinders Street, Flagstaff or Richmond even if no announcements have been made. The only thing you'll lose by doing this if your train does run is boarding it at a station where it is more crowded.
Passengers on trains that need to go via Flinders Street first are most at risk of transposals. Those boarding at transposal-prone stations should bear this in mind and catch an earlier train if arrival time is critical (even a train 5 minutes earlier can make a difference). Alternatively it may be better to commence the journey at Flinders Street instead of Parliament or Southern Cross if both are similar distance.
(*) Alternatives that might be better for North Melbourne trains include taking a Caulfield or Burnley train to Flagstaff or, for Caulfield or Burnley group trains, a Blackburn, Alamein or Sandringham direct train to join your train at Richmond.
Mobile phone coverage
Good coverage is available near loop stations, but services break up near line bends. Except for very short calls or SMS messages, only use phones when out of the loop.