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[i] Train Tips

GOING LOOPY: The City Loop baffles passengers as its direction varies depending on the day and time. For the low down on the loop, click here.

CUT THE LOOP: Peak period travellers to Flinders St can save time by avoiding the City Loop. If coming from the east or south, transfer at Richmond for a direct Flinders St service.

BONUS TRAINS: Some trains aren't in the timetable but still take passengers. Their purpose is to get trains into position. 'Non-PSR' trains may be cancelled, delayed or modified, so treat them as a bonus.

FAST EXIT: If you're at Flinders St Station in the afternoon and have just missed your train travelling via the loop, you can sometimes still catch it. Just look for direct trains that serve other relevant stations (such as Parliament or Richmond) and transfer to your train from there.

LOCKED OUT:The subway linking Southbank and Elizabeth Street to Flinders Street Station closes at 10pm. Those hoping to travel by train should allow at least 10 minutes for the detour.

GETTING A SEAT 1: Sometimes the front and rear carriages have spare seats while the middle is standing room only.

GETTING A SEAT 2: Take advantage of varying intervals between trains in the timetable. Where passengers arrive randomly the first train after a long gap will be the most packed. The last train of a bunch is likely to have the most room. If arrival time is critical, aim for the one before that to reduce cancellation delays.

Disclaimer

Metlink and the Department of Infrastructure do not endorse and are in no way associated with this site.

Visitors to this site are encouraged to check the Metlink website or phone 131 638 for official public transport information.

Trains

Melbourne has an extensive electric train service, serving inner, middle and outer suburbs.   All lines radiate from the City Loop.

For a timetable, select your line from the list below. Use the suburb list if you don't know which line you're on.

Alamein Route entirely in Zone 1. (Alamein passengers transfer at Camberwell)

Belgrave/Lilydale Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Craigieburn Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Cranbourne/Pakenham Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Epping Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Frankston Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Glen Waverley Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Hurstbridge Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Sandringham Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Stony Point  Route entirely in Zone 2. (transfer at Frankston)

Sydenham Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Upfield Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2.

Werribee/Williamstown Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2. (Williamstown passengers transfer at Newport)

Note: timetables are in pdf format. Use right mouse button to open in new tab or window.

Service Levels

Service levels on most lines are as follows:

Weekdays: 15 or 20 min
Saturday: 20 min
Monday - Saturday evening: 30 min
Sunday morning: 30 min
Sunday afternoon: 20 min
Sunday evening: 30 or 40 min

Service frequency on outer portions of some lines is about half these figures.  More frequent services operate during peak periods on most lines.

Late-night services

The last train leaves the city around midnight on most lines. Extra services operate on Friday and Saturdays on most lines, with final departures around 1am.

After that travel is provided by Nightrider buses  early Saturday and Sunday mornings. NightRider buses serve most suburbs with a railway station and run every 30 to 60 minutes. Fares are the same as for trains.

Fare zones

Route entirely in Zone 1. Line entirely in Zone 1.

Route entirely in Zone 2. Line entirely in Zone 2.

Part of route in Zone 1. Part of route in Zone 2. Part of line in Zone 1. Part of line in Zone 2.

Please note that the Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual is now the legal gazetted reference and takes precedence over zone information published elsewhere. It should be consulted if details of zone boundaries and overlaps are required.

Connections

Visit Train Connections for details of bus and tram connections available at each station.

Stations

Stations are mostly one to two kilometres apart. Apart from the City Loop, most are above ground.

Major, or 'Premium', stations are staffed from first to last train so passengers can buy tickets, obtain travel advice and book V/Line services.

Smaller stations are normally unstaffed. However 'Station Hosts' are now present at some of these on weekday mornings to provide travel information, help passengers with the ticket machines and open station toilets.

Passenger Information

All stations have wall timetables that show times for a whole line. These are located at station or platform entrances. There is normally a ruled line to highlight times for your station. Large print wall timetables that only show times for your station and summaries of stopping patterns are sometimes also displayed. Note that display space at some of the smaller stations is limited, and timetables may occasionally be covered over by service change notices.

Automatic announcements advise of approaching trains. These are made up to two minutes before the train arrives. Manual announcements are also sometimes provided, especially if there have been short-term service alterations. At other times passengers can press the 'green button' to tell the time of the next train and how many minutes away it is.

Using the green button is a lot like making a phone call. Sometimes it may 'answer' immediately. Other times it takes several 'rings' to respond if the system becomes overloaded by too many buttons being pressed at once. If it rings out, press it again once the ringing stops; it is rare not to get an answer within three tries. At other times the green button will announce the time of but not the wait until the next train. The 'minutes to' function seems to require the train to have started its journey for it to work, so is not always available. Note that 'minutes to' announcements are estimates and it's not uncommon for late trains to make up time (although the converse can also happen).

Larger stations have visual 'next train' LED displays above each platform. These typically provide information on the train's due time, the destination, and 'minutes to'. Inner-city stations (plus Box Hill) also have monitor-type displays that give all this plus detailed information on train stopping patterns.

Some stations have digital clocks. Where these are not provided, look at the validators on each plaform; these always show the time when not validating a ticket.

Information on board trains comprises a combination of system maps, manual voice announcements, automated 'next station' announcements and LED visual displays. The last three are sometimes missing, unclear or incorrect, so it's a good idea to consult a timetable and system map before boarding.

City Loop

An underground railway loop runs beneath the centre of Melbourne. Trains travel in different directions through the Loop, depending on the time of day and day of the week.

On weekdays the direction reverses at approximately 12:45pm (Clifton Hill trains excepted), while weekend services run in the same direction day and night. This baffles the occasional travellers and reference to timetables is recommended if arrival times are critical. Travel between some city stations can also be confusing as you may have to exit the loop and transfer to another train to complete your journey.

More information on getting around the Loop appears here.

Maps

Detailed online maps of Melbourne's train and tram network include Railpage Melbourne train and tram map and Mike Alexander's train and tram network map. Metlink's train map can be found here. 

Operators

Trains in Melbourne are run by Connex.  V/Line Passenger trains serve some outlying areas. See the suburb index for details.  

Coping with service disruptions

Service disruptions fall into either of two categories; planned or unplanned.

Planned service disruptions mostly occur due to track work or maintenance. To minimise disruption to commuters, the work is normally done on weekends, during which time trains are replaced by buses.

Passengers should allow extra time for their trip and read the 'Buses Replace Trains' notices at affected stations that are put up several days before. Advice is also provided through public address and 'green button' messages at stations on the day.

Buses depart from the 'Rail Substitute Bus' stops just outside the station. At some stations these stops are marked with blue signs. Staff are often provided to assist, especially at the ends of the section replaced by buses.

Replacement buses normally run at the same service frequency as the trains they replaced. Several are usually provided, depending on patronage. Where a large section of line is closed, some may run express to reduce journey times for through passengers. Follow the attendant's instructions and read the sign in the windscreen to avoid boarding the wrong bus.

Planned disruptions may also occur when trains have to be impounded and the full timetable cannot be run. As an alternative to randomly cancelling trains, particular services may be suspended until sufficient trains become available. The main difficulty this causes is crowding during peak travel times.

Unplanned service disruptions are different for several reasons. Compared to planned disruptions, less notice can be given, replacement buses may not be available, automated announcements might be absent or incorrect and staff may not be present. The problem could be network-wide or confined to the City Loop, a group of lines or even a single station. There may also be no indication as to when normal service resumes; it could be as little as fifteen minutes or as much as two hours. At other times delays are minor but there may be an abnormally high number of cancellations over several hours or even several days.

* City trams & buses near your station
* Why disruptions happen & working around them

Readers should note that all links to timetables are to external websites maintained by third parties such as Metlink, Connex, Yarra Trams and various bus operators. All copyright and usage restrictions should be observed. Enquiries as to a timetable's currency or accuracy should be directed to the owner of the linked site.