Melbourne is getting its first day and night frequent rail line on February 1.
Trains run every 10 minutes or better for over 130 hours of the week at 22 stations.
I've called the concept 'Metro Frequent 130'.
Learn about its benefits and extension prospects here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
UN 221: New era for rail travel in Melbourne - Introducing Metro Frequent 130
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
TT 220: Bonuses and blunders in Metro Tunnel bus timetables
Four are of special interest. Here's my quick run through them.
New east-west Route 241
Parkville was the main area that got bus reform to tie in with the new station there. In 2024 there were major frequency upgrades for the 505 and 546. Coming up on February 1 is the new route 241. This replaces the now redundant 403 Footscray - Parkville university shuttle and the less important 401 and 202 routes with a new Route 241, which unlike the others, also runs weekends. Route 241 is effectively a longer merging of the 401 and 202 with the offspring inheriting 202's 10 minute service but lacking 401's very high frequency (which was less necessary given the Footscray - Parkville option provided by the Metro Tunnel).
It will join the exclusive club of 7 day bus routes that enjoy a 10 minute or better service on weekdays (the only others being 235, 246 and 402). And by rolling three five day routes into one seven day route there's a welcome improvement in network legibility.
It will join the exclusive club of 7 day bus routes that enjoy a 10 minute or better service on weekdays (the only others being 235, 246 and 402). And by rolling three five day routes into one seven day route there's a welcome improvement in network legibility.
Route 241 becomes the southernmost inner northern east-west route with eventual connections to trains across Melbourne on all but two groups. Weekend service on the 241 is provided with a 30 minute service during the day. This is average to above average as far as Melbourne weekend bus frequencies go. However it does not evenly mesh with most train lines that are typically every 20 minutes. Its early finish also means that it does not meet the 9pm minimum service standard for buses, especially on weekends.
What really stands out with Route 241 is that most of Melbourne's train and tram network is just one change away from it. Few people will travel end to end but it should get substantial usage for short trips in a high demand area that had poor east-west transport. And its 10 minute frequency will make such short trips practical on weekdays (less so weekends due to its lower frequency). Still it should be a patronage success that gets it further service upgrades.
More night trips on the 402
Long-established route that gains a new rail connection at Parkville. One of Melbourne's three (now four) seven day routes that run every 10 minutes on weekdays, the 402 gains some extra later evening trips. These add trips on all days of the week. Key improvements include later Monday to Saturday finishes with service extended to nearly 11pm. In addition weekend evening frequency improves from every 40 to every 30 minutes while Sunday morning service starts a little earlier.
The 402 is bit like the new 241 in that it connects a huge number of train and tram lines across Melbourne's inner inner north from Footscray to East Melbourne. It has enjoyed a welcome trajectory of service improvements in the last 10-15 years with this being just the latest.
The 402 is bit like the new 241 in that it connects a huge number of train and tram lines across Melbourne's inner inner north from Footscray to East Melbourne. It has enjoyed a welcome trajectory of service improvements in the last 10-15 years with this being just the latest.
The botched 250 and 251 timetable
250 and 251 are long-established routes that overlap between the CBD and Northcote. From there they branch off with 250 going to La Trobe University and 251 to Northland. A staple feature of their timetable had been even spacing to provide a combined 10 minute frequency on weekdays, 15 minutes on Saturdays and 20 minutes on Sundays on the substantial common section (partly an old cable tram route).
Unfortunately the February 1 timetable destroys this with the Saturday timetable (for example) having two buses every 30 minutes rather than the previous even bus every 15 minutes, effectively halving the service and reducing bus occupancy. The new timetables haven't started yet but politicians are already starting to get complaints about them.
With poor punctuality there may have been a case to retimetable these routes. However Transport Victoria should have specified (and ensured) that the existing offset so important to provide a frequent service was preserved.
It's not often that Transport Victoria gets timetables so badly wrong but they did in this case. Hopefully it gets changed soon to restore the even service frequency on this popular corridor. The last major metropolitan error (in my view) was last year's 513/514 timetable changes that made catching buses on Bell St (one of Melbourne's main roads) more complicated.
It's not often that Transport Victoria gets timetables so badly wrong but they did in this case. Hopefully it gets changed soon to restore the even service frequency on this popular corridor. The last major metropolitan error (in my view) was last year's 513/514 timetable changes that made catching buses on Bell St (one of Melbourne's main roads) more complicated.
Other buses and coaches
Kinetic routes 246 and 350 will also get new timetables on February 1. Apart from that the vast majority of bus time changes on that date will be regional in areas like Bendigo, Castlemaine, Gippsland and more. Amongst other things this change restores connectivity in the Churchill area that got broken in the previous timetable change.
We don't hear much about V/Line coaches but a large number of routes also get time changes. This makes sense as connections between (typically less frequent) regional trains and coaches are absolutely critical (rather than 'nice to haves') so it's understandable these get first priority.
We are promised more metropolitan bus timetable changes later this year. To quote from that "We'll link more buses between Melbourne's outer and middle suburbs, and improve connections across the network.". Its curious wording that may leave the door open for not just timetable changes but route changes too. The phased sequencing of these changes may be similar to what was done in early 2021 where revised bus timetables came in three stages.
We don't hear much about V/Line coaches but a large number of routes also get time changes. This makes sense as connections between (typically less frequent) regional trains and coaches are absolutely critical (rather than 'nice to haves') so it's understandable these get first priority.
We are promised more metropolitan bus timetable changes later this year. To quote from that "We'll link more buses between Melbourne's outer and middle suburbs, and improve connections across the network.". Its curious wording that may leave the door open for not just timetable changes but route changes too. The phased sequencing of these changes may be similar to what was done in early 2021 where revised bus timetables came in three stages.
All up changes to more than 270 bus and coach timetables are proposed to better coordinate with Metro Tunnel services.
Trams too?
There is not currently news of any tram timetable changes happening on Big Switch Day (or any day thereafter). Trams generally do not currently coordinate with train timetables. For example it is common for trams every 20 min at night to intersect with trains every 30 min, meaning the best connections repeat only hourly. And there are a lot of 12 minute tram headways.
Back in October the premier greatly talked up the 'Big Switch' timetable changes, saying that tram timetables were part of it so news of these may well come out later. Watch her announcement in the first minute of this Taitset/Philip Mallis video.
Back in October the premier greatly talked up the 'Big Switch' timetable changes, saying that tram timetables were part of it so news of these may well come out later. Watch her announcement in the first minute of this Taitset/Philip Mallis video.
On the other hand there may be a case to 'wait and see' to examine the effect that the Metro Tunnel has on tram usage (especially the Swanston and Elizabeth St corridors) and, armed with this data, adjust timetables then.
Summary
These bus changes involve one big good thing (the new 241), one small good thing (the 402 upgrade) and one big bad thing (the 250/251 timetable). They are not however transformative on a metropolitan-wide scale. But future changes may or may not be. We await with interest.
See all Timetable Tuesday items here
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
TT 219: Metro Tunnel timetables released
The new Metro Tunnel timetables were released yesterday. They can be viewed on the Transport Victoria or Metro Trains website (select a date from Feb 1). The premier's media release is here.
What's in it for Metro tunnel lines
What's in it for Metro tunnel lines
They were pretty much as people expected - that is a 10 min maximum wait through the Metro Tunnel core with no more than 20 minute waits at the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Sunbury ends. The actual limits of the 10 minute service from first to last train is Dandenong to West Footscray, as mapped below. The 130 hours per week of frequent service on this section will be far more than on any other line.
The 'Big Switch' may be better thought of as switching on a series of service upgrades rather than transforming everything in one go as the premier's release of 7 October 2025 (in my view ill-advisedly) raised expectations about. Minister Gabrielle Williams has made encouraging noises about future service increases on this Reddit thread (that attracted responses wanting more frequency across the network).
What's in it for other lines
The feared West Footscray turnback is (thankfully) inactive most of the day. But it comes out to play its ping-pong game at nights and on Sunday mornings. Thus Tottenham to Watergardens (including the much-hyped Sunshine Super Hub) has frequent service during the day but not at night or Sunday mornings. At these times train termini alternate between Sunbury and West Footscray (not Watergardens).
The Tottenham - Watergardens portion gets about 90 hours worth of frequent service per week. That's 40 hours less than West Footscray but about the same as the Frankston line gets now. It's a big step up from the current 30 to 40 minute maximum waits but doesn't quite give the full frequent service day and night Metro Tunnel experience. At 15 hours the weekday frequent service on this section slightly exceeds the gradually emerging 14 hour rule for span of frequent service. Weekends though is much less with 9 hours of frequent service offered (approximately 10am - 7pm). Booting passengers off every second train arrival at West Footscray at night will become a less enjoyable part of the Metro driver and staff work there.
Town Hall will be open and served by all Metro Tunnel trains. The Night Network will operate through the Metro Tunnel but will skip Arden, Parkville, State Library and Anzac. Tram options are available nearby but this presents a legibility issue, especially for those needing to travel before about 7:30am on Sundays. Expect calls for at least Parkville and possibly Anzac to open earlier on Sunday mornings due to significant resident and/or hospital worker populations. And there is precedent - when it opened and for many years after not all City Loop stations were open on weekends whereas now they all are (although not for Night Network).
These blemishes aside, these are historically big service changes on a network that has had too few of them in the last decade or so. This timetable adds the first new 7 day frequent rail corridor to the network since 2014 and the first in Melbourne's west. Weekday peaks will be even more frequent at most stations. This will transform the way people use trains on a major corridor and (hopefully) start a chain of upgrades on other lines. The Tottenham - Watergardens portion gets about 90 hours worth of frequent service per week. That's 40 hours less than West Footscray but about the same as the Frankston line gets now. It's a big step up from the current 30 to 40 minute maximum waits but doesn't quite give the full frequent service day and night Metro Tunnel experience. At 15 hours the weekday frequent service on this section slightly exceeds the gradually emerging 14 hour rule for span of frequent service. Weekends though is much less with 9 hours of frequent service offered (approximately 10am - 7pm). Booting passengers off every second train arrival at West Footscray at night will become a less enjoyable part of the Metro driver and staff work there.
Town Hall will be open and served by all Metro Tunnel trains. The Night Network will operate through the Metro Tunnel but will skip Arden, Parkville, State Library and Anzac. Tram options are available nearby but this presents a legibility issue, especially for those needing to travel before about 7:30am on Sundays. Expect calls for at least Parkville and possibly Anzac to open earlier on Sunday mornings due to significant resident and/or hospital worker populations. And there is precedent - when it opened and for many years after not all City Loop stations were open on weekends whereas now they all are (although not for Night Network).
The 'Big Switch' may be better thought of as switching on a series of service upgrades rather than transforming everything in one go as the premier's release of 7 October 2025 (in my view ill-advisedly) raised expectations about. Minister Gabrielle Williams has made encouraging noises about future service increases on this Reddit thread (that attracted responses wanting more frequency across the network).
What's in it for other lines
The Werribee, Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston line get a few extra trips with the latter returning to the City Loop. Upgrades to Werribee, Craigieburn, Upfield and Sandringham lines as funded in the 2025 state budget are not a part of these timetables but will be delivered in the middle of the year.
The Mernda, Hurstbridge, Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley timetables are not changing. These have some of the longest waits on the network with notable examples including Belgrave and Lilydale (30 min gaps midday on a weekday) and Mernda and Hurstbridge (40 min gaps on Sunday morning).
Unlike Perth, where every station has maximum 15 minute gaps Monday to Sunday during the day, Melbourne has an increasingly two tier rail network with some parts frequent and other parts not. Level crossing removals raised expectations of significant service uplifts but these remain unfulfilled to the extent that when the government tries to sells its other rail projects (including the Metro Tunnel) there's a chorus crying 'What about us?' . All eyes will be on the 2026 state budget for at least a Clifton Hill and Burnley group rail service upgrade package with the busy Craigieburn line also having a strong case.
The Mernda, Hurstbridge, Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley timetables are not changing. These have some of the longest waits on the network with notable examples including Belgrave and Lilydale (30 min gaps midday on a weekday) and Mernda and Hurstbridge (40 min gaps on Sunday morning).
Unlike Perth, where every station has maximum 15 minute gaps Monday to Sunday during the day, Melbourne has an increasingly two tier rail network with some parts frequent and other parts not. Level crossing removals raised expectations of significant service uplifts but these remain unfulfilled to the extent that when the government tries to sells its other rail projects (including the Metro Tunnel) there's a chorus crying 'What about us?' . All eyes will be on the 2026 state budget for at least a Clifton Hill and Burnley group rail service upgrade package with the busy Craigieburn line also having a strong case.
This map is a rough summary of the Metro train changes (click for better view).
There are some V/Line service increases. The new Route 241 bus starts with its routing confirmed as being North Melbourne to Yarra Bend via Arden, Parkville and Victoria Park. Replacing 202, 401 and 403, it will run every 10 minutes weekdays and 30 minutes weekends. Many other bus and coach routes will have time changes with some to happen later in the year.
Daniel Bowen has gone through many of the details here. Also read the comments.
Messaging
Given community expectations (often raised by the government itself) it is understandable that early commentary from some has been that the timetables (especially on the non-Metro lines) are underwhelming.
The government has been calling this timetable change the 'Big Switch', as if everything was going to be rosy after February 1. While it is undeniable that many timetables are changing and it is a huge workload for the department, it is also true that the impact on services for those away from lines served by the Metro Tunnel range between nil and modest.
Messaging
Given community expectations (often raised by the government itself) it is understandable that early commentary from some has been that the timetables (especially on the non-Metro lines) are underwhelming.
The government has been calling this timetable change the 'Big Switch', as if everything was going to be rosy after February 1. While it is undeniable that many timetables are changing and it is a huge workload for the department, it is also true that the impact on services for those away from lines served by the Metro Tunnel range between nil and modest.
Transport Victoria is promoting the timetables under the 'More Ways to Move' slogan with a video summarising them here.
Wider benefits and delivery of Business Case service plan
Something I got from the above video was that the Metro Tunnel's wider network benefits are framed in terms of more reliability and less platform crowding. As opposed to freeing up space for higher frequency services on other lines, which despite this being a major rationale for the project, is mostly not happening (at least in this timetable change).
Something I got from the above video was that the Metro Tunnel's wider network benefits are framed in terms of more reliability and less platform crowding. As opposed to freeing up space for higher frequency services on other lines, which despite this being a major rationale for the project, is mostly not happening (at least in this timetable change).
Have we got from this timetable what was proposed in the Business Case? It depends. The Business Case relied on the substitution of trips from other modes such as driving and trams and network effect to justify the project's construction. Network effects are maximised if intersecting lines operate frequently enough to enable always good connections. If intersecting lines are not boosted or trams are left as they are then the Metro Tunnel can't realise all its expected benefits.
Consequently the 2016 Business Case included not just frequent service on the busy central part of the Metro Tunnel's own line but also on other lines including Craigieburn, Upfield and Sandringham. It did not provide for frequent service between West Footscray and Watergardens, possibly because there would have been a wish to keep options open for Sunshine including Airport Rail and V/Line electrification to Melton and/or Wyndham Vale. The Business Case was also done a few years after the Network Development Plan. That was based on continuing metropolitan rail timetable upgrades that, apart from some modest improvements in 2021, were not of interest to a government preferring to build infrastructure first.
Consequently the 2016 Business Case included not just frequent service on the busy central part of the Metro Tunnel's own line but also on other lines including Craigieburn, Upfield and Sandringham. It did not provide for frequent service between West Footscray and Watergardens, possibly because there would have been a wish to keep options open for Sunshine including Airport Rail and V/Line electrification to Melton and/or Wyndham Vale. The Business Case was also done a few years after the Network Development Plan. That was based on continuing metropolitan rail timetable upgrades that, apart from some modest improvements in 2021, were not of interest to a government preferring to build infrastructure first.
Yesterday's Metro Tunnel timetable takes a different tack. The Metro Tunnel ended up being completed before any of the various airport rail, Melton or Wyndham Vale schemes that otherwise would have used train paths between Sunshine and the CBD got off the ground. Thus, unlike the NDP, the Business Case or the worries I expressed here, the Metro Tunnel timetable does included ten minute frequencies to Watergardens (for most of the day, Monday to Sunday). This is a big win on a busy section of the network. The government was right to insist on this otherwise it would have been an embarrassment.
However other parts of the Business Case plan to expand the 10 minute frequent network aren't happening. Craigieburn and Upfield were removed from the lines slated to get a 10 minute frequency. Assisted by funding in the 2025 state budget, Sandringham will happen but not on Day 1 due to a wish to through-route to Newport whose lines are currently the subject of level crossing removal works.
Taking all that into account means that on February 1 some 35 fewer stations will have off peak service every 10 min or better than was envisaged in the Business Case. However when Sandringham comes on stream in mid 2026 that gap will drop to 22 fewer. Click below for more details.
Conclusion
To sum up the more frequent Metro Tunnel timetable is at least as significant as the new stations in making the Sunbury, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines much more useful.
West Footscray to Dandenong will become Melbourne's first frequent train corridor to operates every 10 minutes or better first to last train, that is about 18 hours a day including weekends. This is truly big - existing frequent corridors such as to Frankston and Dandenong feature such frequent service over only about a 8 or 9 hour span, meaning that there would be a lot of trips that people would enjoy frequent service in one direction but not both.
The expansion of the frequent network gives some needed momentum that will hopefully generate upgrades on other lines. And the simple through-running free of loop reversals or transposals will hopefully set the standard for other lines, especially the cross-city group when that revives as Sandringham to Newport in a few months, then greenfields timetables on other groups and finally the City Loop Reconfiguration.
To sum up the more frequent Metro Tunnel timetable is at least as significant as the new stations in making the Sunbury, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines much more useful.
West Footscray to Dandenong will become Melbourne's first frequent train corridor to operates every 10 minutes or better first to last train, that is about 18 hours a day including weekends. This is truly big - existing frequent corridors such as to Frankston and Dandenong feature such frequent service over only about a 8 or 9 hour span, meaning that there would be a lot of trips that people would enjoy frequent service in one direction but not both.
The expansion of the frequent network gives some needed momentum that will hopefully generate upgrades on other lines. And the simple through-running free of loop reversals or transposals will hopefully set the standard for other lines, especially the cross-city group when that revives as Sandringham to Newport in a few months, then greenfields timetables on other groups and finally the City Loop Reconfiguration.
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