Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, consists of several interlinking modes.

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network,

trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

and

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as

taxis A taxis (; : taxes ) is the motility, movement of an organism in response to a Stimulus (physiology), stimulus such as light or the presence of food. Taxes are innate behavioural responses. A taxis differs from a tropism (turning response, often ...

. Melbourne is a busy regional transport hub for the statewide passenger rail network,

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and interstate rail services to

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Freight transport also makes up a significant proportion of trips made on the network from the

Port of Melbourne The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at th ...

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , known locally as Tullamarine Airport, is an international airport serving Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operating 24/7 service, 24 hours a day with on-site parking, shopping and dining, Melbourne Airport is the List of th ...

and industrial areas across the city. According to the

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th Census in Australia, national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was count ...

, Melbourne has the second-highest rate of public transport usage among Australian capital cities for travel to work at 19 percent, second to Sydney's 27 percent. In 2017-2018, 565 million passenger trips were made on Melbourne's metropolitan public transport network. Melbourne has the most road space per capita of any Australian city, with its freeway network being comparable to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

in terms of its size and scale. Much of Australia's

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

was located in Melbourne until all manufacturing ceased at the end of 2017. The state government, as part of the release of the

Melbourne 2030 Melbourne 2030 is a Victoria State Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia intended to cover the period 2001–2030. During this period the population of the metropolitan area is expected t ...

planning strategy in 2002, set a target for

modal share A modal share (also called mode split, mode-share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type. In freight transportation, this may be measured in mass. Modal share ...

of cars to decrease to 80 percent by 2020. However, increases in car usage since this target was set has not shown the decline that was initially predicted.

Timeline

*1837: The

Hoddle Grid The Hoddle Grid is the contemporary name given to the approximately grid of streets that form the Melbourne central business district, Australia. Bounded by Flinders Street, Spring Street, La Trobe Street, and Spencer Street, it lies at a ...

, Melbourne's first street system, is laid out. *1844:

Princes Bridge Princes Bridge, originally Prince's Bridge,, ''...he wished that it might be distinguished by the name of "Prince's Bridge," in honour of the Prince of Wales, whom he hoped would yet be the Sovereign of their colonies...'' is a bridge in centra ...

St Kilda Road St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the Melbourne central business district, locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city. St Kilda ...

, a toll bridge and the first over the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower st ...

, opens. *1849: Melbourne's main streets are paved. *1850: Tolls are removed from Princes Bridge. *1854:

Flinders Street railway station Flinders Street railway station is a major railway station located on the corner of Flinders Street, Melbourne, Flinders and Swanston Street, Swanston streets in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest railway station in Victoria, se ...

and the first rail line to Sandridge (

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...

) open. *1858: The Spencer Street station is built, connecting Melbourne to the rest of Victoria. *1885: First cable tram to Hawthorn *1889: First

electric tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segment ...

between

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

and Box Hill *1890:

Doncaster railway line The Doncaster railway line was a long-proposed suburban railway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that was anticipated to be built by the late 2020s, as a branch, along with the Hurstbridge line, of the planned future ...

first proposed. *1891:

Flinders Street Viaduct The Flinders Street Viaduct is a railway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. Made up of six tracks built at different times, it links Flinders Street station to Southern Cross station, forming the main connection between the eastern and western p ...

opens as a single, then double track link between Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations. *1910: Present Flinders Street station opens as the main suburban railway terminus. *1919: Electrification of the suburban rail network commences, continuing to this day *1920s: Flinders Street station declared the world's busiest station several times. *1940: The

Ashworth Improvement Plan The Ashworth Improvement Plan was a report that recommended a number of improvements to be made to the electrified suburban railways of inner city Melbourne, Australia. It was produced in 1940 by a committee headed by John Marmaduke Ashworth, t ...

details proposed improvements to suburban rail in the inner city. *1966:

St Kilda Junction St Kilda Junction is a major intersection in Melbourne, Australia. It is in the suburb of St Kilda, bordering Windsor and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princ ...

remodelled and Queens Way underpass created for new highways at Dandenong Road and Punt Road. *1969: Melbourne Transportation Plan released planning numerous freeways and railways. *1970: The

West Gate Bridge The West Gate Bridge is a steel, box girder, cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, spanning the Yarra River just north of its mouth into Port Phillip. It carries the West Gate Freeway and is a vital link between the Melbourn ...

collapses, and the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority is established. *1971: The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop project begins. *1977: First section of Eastern Freeway opens, with land reserved for a

. The $202 million toll West Gate Bridge opens.

Hoddle Highway Hoddle Highway is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, itself a sub-section of Hoddle Main Road. Both of these names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by th ...

is created from a four-lane widening of Hoddle Street and the demolition of buildings on the east side of Hoddle Street. *1980: The Lonie Report recommends replacing half the tram system with buses, as well as several railway lines in Melbourne and Victoria to be closed, but no tram routes were closed, and only 2 rail lines were closed to be replaced by trams. *1981: First stage of the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop opens. *1982: A transport bill is introduced in the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly ...

. *1983: Transport Act 1983 receives royal assent on 23 June and becomes effective on 1 July. The act creates the State Transport Authority, the

Metropolitan Transit Authority Metropolitan Transit Authority may refer to: * Metropolitan Transit Authority (Boston), succeeded by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) * Metropolitan Transit Authority (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Erie Metropolitan Trans ...

, the Road Construction Authority and the Road Traffic Authority.

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

, the

Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board The Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) was a government-owned authority that was responsible for the tram network in Melbourne, Australia between 1919 and 1983, when it was merged into the Metropolitan Transit Authority. It had be ...

and the

Country Roads Board The Country Roads Board was a government authority responsible for the construction and maintenance of main roads in the state of Victoria, Australia between 1913 and 1983. History The Country Roads Board (CRB) was formed to take over respon ...

are abolished. *1985: Tolls removed from the West Gate Bridge. *1987: St Kilda and

railway lines replaced by trams. *1989: Construction of the $631 million Western Ring Road begins. The

Public Transport Corporation The Public Transport Corporation (PTC) was a Victoria State Government owned Public-benefit nonprofit corporation, statutory authority formed under the Transport Act 1983 which operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services. The ...

and

VicRoads VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government an ...

replace the State Transport Authority, Metropolitan Transit Authority, Road Construction Authority and Road Traffic Authority on 1 July. *1992: A new government is elected in October under Premier

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian former politician who served as the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1999, and the Member for ...

. Alan Brown is appointed Minister for Public Transport and Bill Baxter Minister for Roads and Ports. The Ministry of Transport is replaced by the Department of Transport, and transport administration functions are transferred from the Public Transport Corporation to the secretary of the Department of Transport. *1994: Free City Circle Tram begins. *1995: The Dandenong to Cranbourne rail electrification opens, reinstating passenger service after several years, and the Public Transport Competition Act is passed by Parliament. *1996: Construction of the $2 billion

CityLink CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, linking the Tullamarine Freeway, Tullamarine, West Gate Freeway, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other ...

tollway begins, and the Rail Corporations Act is passed by Parliament. *1997: Design of the franchising of the public transport network begins. *1998: Legislation establishes the Director of Public Transport to manage public transport service and VicTrack, to own public-transport land and assets. *1999: The Western Ring Road and the Bolte Bridge, the second major road over the Yarra River, open. The state government commissions the Linking Victoria study. The Director of Public Transport, VicTrack and the franchising of services begin. *2002: Transport Minister Peter Batchelor announces that the

airport rail link An airport rail link is a service providing passenger rail transport between an airport and a nearby city. Direct links operate straight from the airport terminal to the city, while other links require an intermediate use of a people mover or ...

to Tullamarine would not viable for another 10 years, and commits to upgrading SkyBus service to the airport. The state government commissions a ''Melbourne 2030'' planning report, aimed at addressing population growth of up to a million new residents. With recommendations for transport, including the expansion of major activity centres (such as Dandenong and Camberwell) with access to public transport and tripling of the Dandenong line, the document aimed for 20% of trips in Melbourne to be made by public transport by 2020. *2003: The $23 million Box Hill tram-light rail extension opens. *2004: The ''Linking Melbourne: Metropolitan Transport Plan'' summarised findings of the Inner West Integrated Transport Study, North East Integrated Transport Study, Outer Western Suburbs Transport Strategy, Whittlesea Strategic Transport Infrastructure Study and Northern Central City Corridor Strategy, recommending $1.5 billion in investment. The Southern Cross Station redevelopment (which ran late and over budget), Docklands light-rail extension and the Regional Fast Train system were planned for the Commonwealth Games. The $30.5 million Vermont South tram extension begins. Melbourne Train Rush Hour 01

*2005: The $2.5 billion EastLink Freeway project begins. *2006: The state government releases ''Meeting our Transport Challenges'', a $10 billion plan to improve public transport and roads. It includes a "Think Tram" project to reduce tram travel times and recommendations for a (delayed) SmartBus system for the eastern suburbs. The

Rail Safety Act The ''Rail Safety Act 2006'' is a law enacted by the Parliament of the Victoria (Australia), State of Victoria, Australia, and is the prime statute regulating the safety of Rail transport in Victoria, rail operations in Victoria. The Act was ...

, Victoria's first rail-safety statute, becomes effective on 1 August. New transport-ticketing regulations begin. The state's first independent rail and bus safety regulator and rail, bus and marine safety investigator begin on 1 August. *2007:

Myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the Me ...

, a new public-transport ticketing system which was delayed and over budget, is scheduled to be introduced. The state government commissions an east-west transport plan. Public-transport ticketing zone 3 is abolished. An accreditation scheme for taxi, bus and other commercial passenger-vehicle drivers and for taxi-industry licence-holders, operators and network-service providers begins on 1 July. Australia's first "Copenhagen style" cycleways are implemented in Swanston Street, Carlton;

Tim Pallas Timothy Hugh Pallas (born 7 January 1960) is an Australian former politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2025, representing the electorate of Tarneit until 2014 and then Werribee from 2014 ...

rejects a Melbourne City Council plan for a Copenhagen-style cycleway on St Kilda Road. The

Accident Towing Services Act The Accident Towing Services Act 2007 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The act is the prime statute regulating the vehicle towing industry which provides towing and recovery services for light and heavy ...

is passed by Parliament. *2008: The

Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project The Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project (CDP) began on 8 February 2008 to deepen the shipping channels leading to Melbourne, Australia. The project was to deepen channels in Port Phillip to draught to allow greater access for container sh ...

, a dredging project to deepen Melbourne's shipping channels, begins. The $18 billion Eddington Transport Report, aimed at reducing traffic congestion, focuses on East–West routes and includes a controversial 18-kilometre road tunnel and 17-kilometre rail tunnel and a new rail line from

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werrib ...

Deer Park, Victoria Deer Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Brimbank local government area. Deer Park recorded a population of 18,145 at the 2021 census. History The ...

but does not address greenhouse emissions. Eastlink opens, and the Monash–CityLink–West Gate freeway upgrade begins. The

Department of Transport (Victoria, 2008–13) A ministry of transport or transportation is a Ministry (government department), ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the D ...

replaces the Department of Infrastructure. The

Australian Greens Victoria The Victorian Greens, officially known as the Australian Greens Victoria, is the Victorian state member party of the Australian Greens, a green political party in Australia. History Early years The Australian Greens Victoria was formed in 1 ...

transport plan is released. Public Transport Minister

Lynne Kosky Lynne Janice Kosky (2 September 1958 – 4 December 2014) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Par ...

postpones an airport link 20 years. The

Victorian Transport Plan The Victorian Transport Plan was a transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby. The plan was submitted to the Government of Australia for funding appro ...

, the state government's fourth "long-term" transport statement since 2002, is released. New Melbourne Lord Mayor

Robert Doyle Robert Keith Bennett Doyle (born 20 May 1953) is an Australian politician who was the 103rd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, elected on 30 November 2008 until he resigned on 4 February 2018 amidst allegations of sexual harassment. He was previously M ...

proposes returning vehicle traffic to Swanston Street. *2009: The

mandates new standards for tow-truck operations (including licence holders and drivers) on 1 January. The Transport Integration Bill (later the

Transport Integration Act The Transport Integration Act 2010 (the Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of Victoria, Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, having replaced major parts ...

) is introduced in the Victorian Parliament on 10 December.

is introduced in late December on suburban trains. The Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009, speeding planning consents and delivery of rail, road and port projects, is passed by Parliament and begins on 1 September.

Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the operator and brand name of train services on the electrified metropolitan rail network serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest urban rail network in Au ...

took over metropolitan rail operations from

Connex Melbourne Connex Melbourne was a train operator in Melbourne, Australia. Formed in July 1998 as Hillside Trains, a business unit of the Public Transport Corporation, it was privatised in August 1999 becoming a subsidiary of Veolia Transport, Connex. In ...

on 30 November 2009. *2010: A Fair Fines package begins on 1 February as part of Transport (Infringements) Regulations 2010, with infringement penalties for minors reduced by two-thirds and a graduated-penalties programme eliminated. The

is passed by the

in February, and becomes law on 1 July. Melbourne Bike Share, a public bicycle-hire service, is planned for mid-year. The

Transport Act 1983 The Transport Act 1983 was the main statute establishing government transport organisations and regulating land transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia for 27 years from mid-1983 to mid-2010. The act was used as the vehicle for ...

is renamed the

Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 The ''Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983'' (the Act) is a prime statute regulating transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia. Key areas regulated by the statute currently include taxi and hire car services and com ...

on 1 July. Public-transport and marine-safety regulators merge to create the

Director, Transport Safety The Director, Transport Safety, who operates as Transport Safety Victoria, is the independent Government agency responsible for bus and marine safety in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the ...

on 1 July after the merger of Director, Public Transport Safety (Public Transport Safety Victoria) and Director, Marine Safety (Marine Safety Victoria). The Victorian Regional Channels Authority and the Port of Hastings Corporation are merged with the

Port of Melbourne Corporation The Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) is a statutory body established by the Victorian Government to develop and manage the Port of Melbourne, Australia's busiest container port. The Corporation commenced operations on 1 July 2003, when it t ...

on 1 September. The new state government, elected on 27 November under Premier

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Victorian Liberal Party, Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, represe ...

with

Terry Mulder Terence Wynn Mulder (born 16 August 1952) is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2015, representing the Colac-based electorate of Polwarth. He served as Minister for Pub ...

as Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads,

Denis Napthine Denis Vincent Napthine (born 6 March 1952) is an Australian former politician and veterinarian who served as the 47th premier of Victoria from 2013 to 2014. He held office as the leader of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Austr ...

as Minister for Ports and Edward O'Donoghue as Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, promises to create the Victorian Public Transport Development Authority to plan and manage public transport in Victoria and Melbourne. The

Tourist and Heritage Railways Act The Tourist and Heritage Railways Act 2010 (the THR Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the Victoria (Australia), State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the activities of Heritage railway, tourist and heritage ...

and the Marine Safety Act 2010 are passed by the Victorian Parliament. The

Bus Safety Act The Bus Safety Act 2009 (also BSA) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the safety of bus operations in Victoria. The Act was developed as part of the Transport Legislation ...

begins on 31 December. *2011: Terry Mulder announces the government's intention in March to hold a

Taxi Industry Inquiry The Taxi Industry Inquiry or the Fels Inquiry was an inquiry commissioned in 2011 into the taxi industry and taxi services in Victoria, Australia, by the Taxi Services Commission. The inquiry was headed by Professor Allan Fels assisted by Dr Dav ...

, which begins in late May headed by

Allan Fels Allan Herbert Miller Fels (born 7 February 1942) is an Australian economist, lawyer and public servant. He was most widely known in his role as chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) from its inception in 1995 unt ...

. The Transport Legislation Amendment (Taxi Services Reform and Other Matters) Act 2011 passes the Victorian Parliament on 29 June, empowering the Taxi Industry Inquiry and creating the

Taxi Services Commission Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria (CPVV), until 2 June 2018 called the Taxi Services Commission (TSC), is the Government agency responsible for the regulation of the taxi and hire car industries in the State (Australia), State of Victoria ...

(which begins operations on 19 July). The Transport Legislation Amendment (Port of Hastings Development Authority) Act 2011 passes the Victorian Parliament on 16 August, creating the

Port of Hastings Development Authority The Port of Hastings Corporation is an authority of the Government of Victoria, Australia. The authority is responsible for the development and management of the port of Hastings located in Western Port Bay approximately 72 kilometres to the sout ...

. The

and the Tourist and Heritage Railways Regulations 2011 become effective on 1 October. the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011 passes the Victorian Parliament on 27 October, empowering

Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria. It was previously the trading name of the Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authority in Victo ...

(which begins operations on 15 December). The Port Management Amendment (Port of Melbourne Licence Fee) Bill 2011, introduced in the Victorian Parliament in early December, proposes a $75 million annual fee to be paid by the

to the Victorian government. *2012: The

begins operations on 1 January, reversing the merger of the former Port of Hastings Corporation and the

. The Public Transport Development Authority (now known as

) takes over train, tram and bus service in Victoria on 2 April, in accordance with the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011. The extension of the Epping railway line to

South Morang South Morang ( mor-ANG) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. South Morang recorded a population of 24,989 at t ...

is completed in April. The Port of Melbourne Corporation becomes liable on 1 July for a $75 million licence fee to the government, in accordance with the Port Management Amendment (Port of Melbourne Licence Fee) Act 2012. The Marine Safety Act 2010 begins on 1 July, setting new standards for commercial and recreational vessels; the Marine Act 1988 is repealed. Strict drug controls (for anyone in charge of a vessel) and zero blood-alcohol controls introduced for commercial vessel operators are introduced by the Transport Legislation Amendment (Drug and Alcohol Controls and Other Matters) Act 2012 on 1 December. The federal government approves plans for

Avalon Airport Avalon Airport is a domestic airport, located in Avalon in the City of Greater Geelong in Victoria, Australia. While located outside the Melbourne metropolitan area, it is the second busiest of the four airports serving the state capital i ...

to become Melbourne's second international airport. The

Metcard Metcard was the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It was a universal ticket which allowed users to ride on the city's Metlink and Metropolitan Transit Authority network, consi ...

ticketing system ends in December, leaving

Melbourne's sole public-transport ticketing system. Laws are enacted late in the year to support the opening and operation of the

Peninsula Link The Mornington Peninsula Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that provides a link from south-eastern suburban Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula. Whilst the entire freeway from Dingley Village to Rosebud is declared by ...

freeway. The PTV Network Development Plan for Metropolitan Rail was introduced in December 2012, which outlines what the government's plans for the future of rail in Melbourne would be. *2013: The Peninsula Link freeway opens in January. A$78 million "handover area" building project begins at train stations. The Director of Public Transport and the

Transport Ticketing Authority The Transport Ticketing Authority (TTA) was a statutory authority within the Department of Transport in the State Government of Victoria, Australia. It was established in June 2003 to manage Victoria's interest in the OneLink Metcard public tran ...

are abolished on 1 July, and their functions become part of Public Transport Victoria. The

becomes the state's taxi and hire-car regulator on 1 July, replacing the Victorian Taxi Directorate (which was abolished). *2015: The

Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) is a former department of the Government of Victoria. It was created on 1 January 2015 by the government of Premier Daniel Andrews when the number of government depa ...

(DEDJTR) replaces the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure as the department responsible for transport policy. The

Level Crossing Removal Project The Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) is an infrastructure upgrade project by the Government of Victoria, Australia, to remove and grade-separate 110 level crossings and to rebuild 51 railway stations on the metropolitan and regional r ...

(LXRP) was founded in May 2015 to remove 50 dangerous level crossing across Melbourne. *2015: The

Regional Rail Link Regional Rail Link (RRL) is the name of a project to build a length of railway through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The name is also colloquially used to refer to the rail alignment constructed as part of the project. The pro ...

opens in June, separating regional

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

and

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

service from the

Werribee Line The Werribee line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's ninth longest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in cen ...

. Two new stations are built, at

Tarneit Tarneit () is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Tarneit recorded a population of 56,370 at the 2021 census. Located near anothe ...

and

Wyndham Vale Wyndham Vale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, one of the fastest growing suburbs of Melbourne, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Wyndham Vale recorded ...

. Site investigations commence for the Metro Tunnel. *2016: 8 level crossings were removed by the LXRP. In February 2016 the business case for the Metro Tunnel is released to the public. *2016: In June 2016 contracts are awarded for early works on the Metro Tunnel *2016: In December 2016 Environmental Impact Statements were published *2017: Contracts awarded for the tunnel and stations construction as well as rail system upgrades in preparation for the Metro Tunnel *2017: A further 3 level crossings were removed by the LXRP. *2017: City Square in the Melbourne CBD is closed off as work commences on the construction of Town Hall Station. **2017: Toorak Road trams are connected to St Kilda Rd for construction of Anzac Station. *2017:

Transport for Victoria Transport for Victoria is a statutory office of the Department of Transport and Planning that is responsible for the planning and coordination of all transport systems in Victoria, Australia. It acts as an umbrella agency for Public Transport V ...

is formed within DEDJTR by an amendment to the Transport Integration Act, to plan and coordinate the transport network as a statutory body on behalf of the Department of Transport. *2018: The federal and state governments announced that they would be funding a connection to the airport as part of the existing rail network. *2018: The state government announces plans for the

Suburban Rail Loop The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a rapid transit system currently under construction in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria and second largest city of Australia. The system is divided into four distinct sections. The two ma ...

, a new heavy rail line to connect existing train corridors in non-CBD locations to facilitate cross-suburban travel. *2018: Contract awarded for rail infrastructure connections and upgrades in preparation for the Metro Tunnel. *2018: 28 more level crossings were removed by the LXRP *2018: Mernda Rail Extension is complete, with 8km of new twin pairs of track and 3 new stations at Mernda, Hawkstowe and Middle Gorge. *2019: The

Department of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

is separated from DEDJTR as the department responsible for transport policy. *2019: 2 level crossings were removed by the LXRP. *2020: 12 more level crossings were removed by the LXRP. *2021: Victoria's Bus Plan was released by the

. *2021: 13 level crossings were removed by the LXRP. *2021: The LXRP announces a further 10 level crossings to be removed by 2025. *2022: 11 more level crossings were removed by the LXRP *2022: In February 2024, 8km of track duplication between Dandenong and Cranbourne is complete. *2023: A further 7 crossings are removed by the LXRP *2024: In November 2024, Victoria's Zero-Emission Bus Transition Plan was released, outlining how the state's public buses will transition to a 100% zero-emissions fleet. *2024: 10 more crossings are removed by the LXRP. Metro Tunnel Project Milestones:

Planning and procurement stage

* April 2015 – Site investigations begin * February 2016 – Metro Tunnel Business Case released * June 2016 – Contract awarded for early works * December 2016 – Environment Effects Statement process finishes * July 2017 – Contracts awarded for tunnel and stations construction and rail system upgrades * July 2018 – Contract awarded for rail infrastructure connections and upgrades

Early works stage

* April 2017 – City Square closed as work begins on Town Hall Station * July 2017 – Toorak Road trams connected to St Kilda Road for construction of Anzac Station * September 2017 – Demolition and archaeology digs in the CBD begin * October 2017 – Construction of the first acoustic shed begins (at Franklin Street) * February 2018 – Grattan Steet closed for construction of Parkville Station * August 2018 - Piling works at City Square begin * December 2018 - Federation Square Visitor Centre demolished

Major construction stage

* August 2019 – First tunnel boring machine (TBM) launches at the Arden Station site * February 2020 – First TBM breakthrough completes a section of tunnel from Arden to Kensington * July 2020 – New platform at West Footscray Station open * May 2021 – All TBM tunnelling complete * February 2022 – Track installation begins * March 2022 – Sunshine Signal Control Centre completed * December 2022 – New Anzac Station tram stop open * March 2023 – Track installation completed with the Metro Tunnel connected to the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines * January 2024 – Arden Station complete * May 2024 – Parkville Station complete * September 2024 – Anzac Station complete

Testing stage

* June 2023 – First test trains enter the Metro Tunnel * October 2023 – High Capacity Signalling introduced on sections of the Cranbourne and Pakenham line * October 2023– High Capacity Metro Train begin running on the Sunbury Line * September 2024 - Testing begins with multiple trains in the tunnel * January 2025 - Trial operations begin including station staff training * April 2025 - Metro Trains Melbourne staff move into Arden, Anzac and Parkville stations

Mode share and patronage

Public transport

Melbourne's public transport system includes rail, tram and bus services. Its tram network is the largest in the world. Almost 300

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

routes and 16 rail lines serve Greater Melbourne. Since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Melbourne has become a dispersed, car-oriented city, leading to a decline in public transport use.Gleeson, B., Curtis, C., & Low, N. (2003). 'Barriers to Sustainable Transport in Australia', in N. Low and B. Gleeson (eds.), Making Urban Transport Sustainable, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp. 201–220. The original transport patterns of urban development are still reflected Melbourne's prewar areas. The operation of Melbourne's public transport system was

privatised Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation wh ...

by the government in 1999. Under this arrangement, rail and tram operations are contracted to private companies while the infrastructure remained under government control. Several operators have been awarded contracts since its commencement, including

, M>Train and

Keolis Downer Keolis Downer is a public transport operator that operates bus, train, tram and ferry services in Australia. It is a joint venture between Keolis, the largest private sector French transport group, and Downer Rail, an Australian railway enginee ...

. Despite initial plans that government subsidies would decrease to zero by 2015, payments to private companies have instead increased significantly. Since the mid-2000s patronage has grown steadily on Melbourne's public transport system, particularly the metropolitan train and tram networks, leading to significant investment in the system and a number of major infrastructure projects. According to the 2018 Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel & Activity, Melbourne's public transport accounted for 8.5% of all trips within Greater Melbourne and

, with 19% of journeys to work within Melbourne occurring on public transport across the three main modes.

Bus

The bus network consists of about 50 bus companies under a

franchise agreement A franchise agreement is a legal, binding contract between a franchisor and franchisee. In the United States franchise agreements are enforced at the State level. Prior to a franchisee signing a contract, the US Federal Trade Commission regulates i ...

with the state Government. Approximately 300 routes are in operation, including twenty-one

night bus Night service, sometimes also known as owl service, is a mode of public transport service operated during the night hours. As an intermediate approach – between providing full service around the clock and stopping services altogether – it p ...

routes that operate on Friday and Saturday nights. Bus patronage is low compared to similar cities around Australia, which some experts have attributed to the presence of the tram network servicing many trips that would normally be taken by bus. Several '

SmartBus SmartBus is a network of bus services in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Overseen by Public Transport Victoria, the network comprises nine key cross-town and orbital bus routes around Melbourne. Key aspects of the service include more freque ...

' routes were introduced in the late 2000s in an attempt to improve parts of the system with improved bus priority and frequencies and span of service hours better than most other bus routes at the time. Despite its success at significantly increasing bus patronage, the service has not been expanded and some bus lanes were removed. Although all Melbourne buses use the

myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the Me ...

ticketing system, the SkyBus between Melbourne Airport and Southern Cross railway station is a non-myki bus service. Several local government councils also operate free community bus services in their local areas including

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

Nillumbik The Shire of Nillumbik ( ) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at th2021 census the Shire had ...

and

Darebin The City of Darebin () is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and in June 2018 Darebin had a population of 161,609. Municipal offices are located at 350 High Street, Preston. ...

Tram

Melbourne has the world's largest tram network, consisting of of double track, nearly 500 trams on 24 routes, and 1,763

tram stop A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, bu ...

s. It is operated by

Yarra Trams Yarra Trams is the trading name of the operator of the Trams in Melbourne, tram network in Melbourne, Australia, which is owned by VicTrack and leased to Yarra Trams by the Victoria State Government, Victorian Department of Transport and Planni ...

. Two partial

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

routes are also part of the network. Most of the remaining track is mixed with vehicle traffic, which makes it one of the slowest tram networks in the world. Trams operate mostly in the inner suburbs and generally provide for short to medium-length trips. Trams are free to ride within the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

. Heritage trams operate on the free City Circle route around the CBD.

Metropolitan rail

Melbourne has a 16 line urban heavy rail network operated by

and serviced by a fleet of 326

EMU The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

trains. With the exception of the

Stony Point line The Stony Point line is a commuter railway line in the outer metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the only diesel service on the metropolitan network and, at , is the tenth-longest line ...

, the entire urban rail network is

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

. The metropolitan network is considered to be a hybrid

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

and

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system, serving both the inner city and outer commuter suburbs with high frequencies in peak periods but lower frequencies at other times.

is the city's main metropolitan station while

Southern Cross railway station Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Victoria, Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins and La Trobe Street, La Tr ...

is the main interchange station for regional and interstate railway services.

Regional rail

Melbourne is the centre of a statewide railway network consisting of lines used for freight and passenger service. Intrastate passenger services are operated by the government-owned

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...

corporation, with a fleet of

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

-hauled trains and

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

s. Seven passenger railway lines connect Melbourne to towns and cities in Victoria. Portions of lines which are part of the V/Line network and cover the metropolitan area are also covered by myki tickets. The city is also connected to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

by the

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

XPT, and to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

by Great Southern Rail's ''

The Overland ''The Overland'' is an interstate passenger train service in Australia, travelling between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the ''Adelaide Express'', known by Sout ...

''.

Fares

Melbourne has a fully integrated ticketing system across all modes of public transport in the metropolitan area through the

contactless smart card system. This requires passengers to touch the card to a reader at each entry and exit point. Myki's rollout began on 29 December 2009 on the rail network. It was then progressively rolled out to trams, buses and regional rail. It completely replaced the old

magnetic stripe card The term digital card can refer to a physical item, such as a memory card on a camera, or, increasingly since 2017, to the digital content hosted as a virtual card or cloud card, as a digital virtual representation of a physical card. They shar ...

system on 30 June 2013. Melbourne's public-transport system is divided into two zones, in addition to the free tram zone in the central business district and some surrounding areas. Myki has two forms of tickets: myki money (in which money is loaded on a myki and the system selects the "best fare") and the myki-pass, where commuters pre-purchase tickets (or passes).

Rail freight

The

is Australia's largest container and general cargo port, handling 33 percent of Australia's container trade. Shipping lines operate to about 300 cities around the world, and 3,200 ships visit the port each year. The port is in Melbourne's inner west, near the junction of the Maribyrnong and

Melbourne--swanston-dock-container-crane

Melbourne has an extensive network of railway lines and yards to serve freight traffic. The lines have two gauges –

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

and

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

– and are not electrified. Freight trains have their own lines in the city's inner western suburbs, but in other areas trains are required to share the tracks with

and

passenger service. Most freight terminals are in the inner suburbs near the port between Melbourne's central business district and Footscray. A number of suburban stations had their own goods yards, with freight trains running on the suburban network until the 1980s.

Airports

Melbourne airport control tower and united B747

, located in the north-western suburb of

Tullamarine Tullamarine ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank, Hume and Merri-bek local government areas. Tullamarine recorded a population of 6,7 ...

, is Australia's second-busiest airport. It serves over 30 airlines and 22 million international and domestic passengers annually. The airport is a hub for passenger airlines

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

Jetstar Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, doing business as, trading as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by the ...

and

Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, formerly known as Virgin Blue, is an Australian airline based in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of two active airlines (the other being Virgin Atlantic) to use the Virgin Group, Virgin brand, as well as the larger by fleet ...

, and cargo airlines

Qantas Freight Qantas Freight is the subsidiary company of Australia's largest airline Qantas responsible for air cargo operations of the Qantas Group. It is the owner of freight airline Express Freighters Australia, freight forwarder Qantas Courier and truck ...

and Toll Priority. Melbourne's second major passenger airport,

(Melbourne Avalon), is south-west of the city and north-east of

. Avalon Airport, primarily used by Jetstar, operates flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.

AirAsia X AirAsia X Berhad, operating as AirAsia X (formerly FlyAsianXpress Sdn. Bhd.), is a Malaysian long-haul, low-cost airline and a subsidiary of the AirAsia, AirAsia Group. The airline was initially established in 2006 as FlyAsian Express (FAX) an ...

began low-cost flights from Avalon to

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

in December 2018, giving Melbourne a second international airport (unique among Australia's capital cities). The city's first major airport,

Essendon Airport Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...

, is no longer used for scheduled international flights. Although a small number of

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

s operate from there, it is primarily used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

and is also home to Victoria's

air ambulance Air medical services are the use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of urgent medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation an ...

Moorabbin Airport Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport is a mostly general aviation airport for light aircraft located in between the southern Melbourne suburbs of Heatherton, Cheltenham, Dingley Village and Mentone. It also receives commercial airline service. ...

, south of Melbourne, is primarily used for recreational flying and flying lessons. It has some regional-airline service, notably to

King Island, Tasmania King Island is an island in Bass Strait, belonging to the Australian state of Tasmania. It is the largest of four islands known as the New Year Group and the second-largest island in Bass Strait (after Flinders Island). The island's population ...

. Moorabbin is a Class D airport, and its

ICAO airport code The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published quarterly in ICAO Document 7910: ''Location Indic ...

is YMMB. RAAF Williams, Point Cook, where the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

originated, is located near Melbourne's south-western limits.

Roads

Melbourne is one of the world's most car-dependent cities, with 74 percent of all trips to and from work or education being done by car. Its freeway network is the largest in Australia, with an extensive grid of arterial roads dating back to Melbourne's initial surveying. The city's total road length is . The freeway network began with the

1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan was a road and rail transport plan for Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, instituted by Henry Bolte's state government. Most prominently, the plan recommended the provision of an extens ...

, which included a grid of freeways which would cover the metropolitan area. The plans were reviewed four years later and many inner-city projects were cancelled. Freeways built during the 1960s and 1970s include the

South Eastern Arterial The Monash Freeway is a major urban freeway in Victoria, Australia, linking Melbourne's CBD to its south-eastern suburbs and beyond to the Gippsland region. It carries up to 180,000 vehicles per day and is one of Australia's busiest freeways. ...

(now part of the Monash Freeway), the

Tullamarine Freeway The Tullamarine Freeway (commonly referred to as The Tulla), is a major urban freeway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, linking Melbourne Airport to the Melbourne City Centre. It carries up to 210,000 vehicles per day and is one of Australia ...

, the Lower Yarra Freeway (now the West Gate Freeway) and the Eastern Freeway. Expansion took place over the next thirty years, with the Monash Freeway,

and the

Western Ring Road The M80 Ring Road (also known simply as the Ring Road or by the names of its constituent parts; the Western Ring Road and the Metropolitan Ring Road) is a partially complete urban freeway ring road around Melbourne, Australia. This article wi ...

all being constructed during this time. The period also saw freeway expansion into the suburbs with the

Mornington Peninsula Freeway The Mornington Peninsula Freeway is a freeway in Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of th ...

, an extension of the Eastern Freeway and the

South Gippsland Freeway South Gippsland Freeway is a short freeway linking Dandenong in Melbourne's south–east to other south–eastern destinations, including the Mornington Peninsula and the Gippsland region. The freeway bears the designation M420. Route South G ...

. In 2008, the EastLink toll freeway opened and existing freeways were further extended. Despite government figures indicating slowed growth in road travel since 2006 (zero growth in 2008–09) and the government's goal to reduce road use to 80 percent of all motorised trips, the State Government have announced several large-scale road infrastructure investments to complete many projects from the original 1969 Plan, including

, East West Link and

North East Link The North East Link is an under construction 10–kilometre tolled highway scheme in Melbourne, Australia. It will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough, Victoria, Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway (Melbourne), Easter ...

). This road construction has continued to increase the use of cars and direct investment away from other transport projects.

Bicycles

Despite having a moderate climate and relatively flat landscape, only 1.7% of trips are made by bike in Melbourne. Melbourne has an extensive network of bicycle paths and bike lanes, which are used for recreation and commuting. Five of Australia's top 10 suburbs for bicycle mode share for journeys to work are located in Melbourne. A series of major off-road paths shared with pedestrians caters for bike riders in the inner suburbs, but infrastructure tends to be less extensive further away into surrounding suburbs. In 2020, the City of Melbourne Council sought to add 40 km of new protected cycling lanes for the inner-city as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inner Melbourne currently has a dock-less

e-bike An electric bicycle, e-bike, electrically assisted pedal cycle, or electrically power assisted cycle is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fa ...

and

e-scooter An e-scooter or electric kick scooter is an electric motorized scooter – a stand-up scooter powered by an electric hub motor in its front and/or rear wheel. It is generally designed with a large center deck on which the rider stands. They ar ...

sharing program provided by private company

Lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

, and an e-scooter sharing program provided by Neuron. Melbourne previously had a government-owned

bicycle-sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include both ...

called Melbourne Bike Share that ran from 2010 to 2019 and was ended due to low ridership. Singaporean bike-sharing company

oBike oBike was a Singapore-registered stationless bicycle-sharing system started by businessmen Yi Shi and Edward Chen with operations in several countries. The bikes have a built-in Bluetooth lock and can therefore be left anywhere at the end of ...

briefly entered the Melbourne market in mid-2017, but abandoned its program in 2018 following extensive complaints and issues with its business practices.

Taxis

Taxis in Melbourne have since 1 July 2013 been regulated by the

, which began operation on 19 July. The

resulted in major reforms to Victoria's taxi industry, significantly impacting taxi service in Melbourne. Taxis were required to be painted canary yellow until this requirement was abolished in 2013. Melbourne has 4,660 licensed, metered taxis, including 443 wheelchair-accessible cabs.

Vehicle for hire A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing private transport or shared transport for a fee, in which passengers are generally free to choose their points or approximate points of origin and destination, unlike public transport, and which t ...

companies such as

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

DiDi Didi Chuxing Technology Company is a Chinese vehicle for hire company headquartered in Beijing with over 550 million users and tens of millions of drivers. The company provides app-based transportation services, including taxi hailing, private ...

, Shofer, Taxify, GoCatch,

Shebah Shebah () is an agricultural settlement on the plains beneath and east of the eastern escarpment of the Eritrean highlands which forms part of the Northern Red Sea administrative region with its capital in Massawa. It is situated about halfway on ...

, and

Ola Cabs Ola Consumer, formerly Ola Cabs, is an Indian transportation company that provides ride-hailing services and operates other business verticals such as financial services and cloud kitchens. It is headquartered in Bangalore, and operates in 2 ...

, also operate in Melbourne.

Ferries

oversees three ferry services in Victoria: the Westgate Punt (between Spotswood and

Fishermans Bend Fishermans Bend (formerly Fishermen's Bend) is a precinct within the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne. It is located on the south of the Yarra River in the suburb of Port Melbourne and opposite Coode Island, close to the Melbourne ...

), Western Port Ferry, which operates between the

Stony Point railway station Stony Point railway station is a commuter railway station and the terminus of the Stony Point line, part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the town of Crib Point in Victoria, Australia. Stony Point is a ground level unstaffed statio ...

, French Island and

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...

and

Port Phillip Ferries Port Phillip Ferries is an Australian ferry company that operates on Port Phillip, providing fast ferry services connecting Geelong and Portarlington to Melbourne Docklands. Background Ferries had a long tradition of operating throughout Port ...

which operates between Docklands,

and Portarlington.

Cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

s and ferries (including the

Spirit of Tasmania TT-Line Company Pty Ltd, trading as Spirit of Tasmania, is a Tasmanian Government-owned business that has been offering ferry services between mainland Australia and Tasmania since July 1993. Navigating the Bass Strait, Spirit of Tasmania f ...

, which crosses

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

) dock at

Station Pier Station Pier is a historic Australian pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate Ferry, ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian He ...

Bay. Privately run ferries and other vessels also travel from Southbank along the

, to Williamstown, and across Port Phillip Bay.

Legislation and regulation

Transport Integration Act

The main transport statute in Victoria is the

Transport Integration Act 2010 The Transport Integration Act 2010 (the Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the '' Transport Act 1983'', which was ren ...

, which establishes and sets the charters of the state agencies charged with providing transport and managing the state's transport system. The

is responsible for the integration and coordination of Victoria's transport system. However, other departments and agencies also have a coordination and implementation role in transport. Other key state agencies are: *

* VicTrack

Governing bodies

There are several agencies and organisations tasked with coordinating and delivering transport in Victoria. Many fall within the purview of Transport for Victoria, but others are run from other departments or are independent government organisations.

Public Transport Victoria

In 2010, the state government resolved to create a new independent agency to coordinate and oversee all aspects of the state's public transport. According to the government, the authority would plan, co-ordinate, manage and administer metropolitan trams and metropolitan and regional buses and trains, replacing the previous structure of multiple agencies. The authority was established in late 2011, and was expected to be fully operational by mid-2012.

assumed the rail, tram and bus responsibilities of the former Director of Public Transport and the activities of the

and MetLink, which were abolished.

Transport for Victoria

In 2016, the state government established a new coordinating agency for transport in the state. It serves as an umbrella agency, overseeing the activities of several other transport organisations and agencies across multiple modes of transport. This includes VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria and V/Line. The agency was established in 2017 and operates under the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

Taxi Services Commission

The government announced a

and the establishment of a

(TSC) in early 2011. The inquiry, headed by

, was conducted by the TSC. The government introduced the Transport Legislation Amendment (Taxi Services Reform and Other Matters) Act 2011, which was enacted in late June 2011 to empower the inquiry. The TSC, established on 19 July 2011, became the state's taxi and hire-car regulator on 1 July 2013.

Port of Hastings Development Authority

The government reversed the late-2010 merger of the Port of Melbourne Corporation (PMC) and the Port of Hastings Corporation by establishing the new

to oversee development of a new port in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

. The Transport Legislation Amendment (Port of Hastings Development Authority) Bill 2011 was passed by the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria that follows a Westminster System, Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the Monarchy in Australia, King, represent ...

in late 2011, and the authority began operations on 1 January 2012.

Safety regulation and investigation

The safety of rail operations in Melbourne is regulated by the 2006

, which applies to commercial passenger and freight operations and tourist and heritage railways. The act created a framework of safety requirements for all rail-industry participants, and requires rail operators who manage infrastructure and rolling stock to obtain accreditation before commencing operations. Accredited rail operators are required to have a safety-management system to guide their operations. Sanctions for violations of the safety requirements established by the Rail Safety Act are outlined in the

. Safety regulation of the bus and marine sectors is overseen by the

under the 2009

and the Marine Act 1988, respectively. The sectors are subject to a no-fault safety-investigation plan conducted by the

Chief Investigator, Transport Safety The Chief Investigator, Transport Safety (the Chief Investigator) is the independent Government agency responsible for investigation of safety-related trends and incidents in the rail, bus and marine industries in the State of Victoria, Australi ...

. The safety regulator for Melbourne's rail, bus and marine systems is Transport Safety Victoria, established under the

. Rail, bus and marine operators in Victoria can be subjected to no-fault investigations by the Chief Investigator, Transport Safety or the

Australian Transport Safety Bureau The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is Australia's national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers ai ...

(ATSB). The chief investigator is charged by Part 7 of the

with investigating rail, bus and marine safety matters, including incidents. The ATSB has jurisdiction over rail matters (on a designated interstate rail network), marine matters (if the ship(s) is under Australian or

AMSA , better known by his alias , is a Japanese professional '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'' player. He is known for being the only top 10 player to play Yoshi. In 2022, he was ranked the second best player in the world after winning major tournaments A ...

regulation) and bus-safety matters (by invitation of a jurisdiction).

Ticketing and conduct requirements

Ticketing requirements for rail, tram and bus service in Victoria are primarily contained in Transport (Ticketing) Regulations 2006 and the Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual. Rules about safe and fair behaviour on trains and trams in Victoria are generally contained in the

and Transport (Conduct) Regulations 2005. Conduct requirements for buses are set out in that act and Transport (Passenger Vehicles) Regulations 2005.

References

External links

Victorian Department of Transport

Transport for Melbourne
– An advocacy alliance for improved public transport planning in Melbourne that publicly launched in 2016. {{MelbournePublicTransport *