27 July 2014 train, tram and bus service upgrades start

The biggest service reforms and upgrades across the whole public transport network for many years started today. There were not to be upgrades of a similar magnitude for more than a decade as government interest switched from service planning and reform to building infrastructure. 

Learn more about what got done in this 10 year retrospective here: 
https://melbourneontransit.blogspot.com/2024/07/big-service-upgrades-turn-10.html

An item focusing on the reformed Brimbank bus network that started is here: 
https://melbourneontransit.blogspot.com/2019/07/5th-anniversary-of-reformed-brimbank.html

To the south-west were these network upgrades in Wyndham: https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2014-07-27-wyndham-enhancements/ Some of these were to harmonise with trains operating at the unfortunate 11 minute peak headway. 

Transdev's first (and as it turned out only successful) Greenfields bus network is described here: 
https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2014-07-27-transdev-greenfields-changes-stage-1/

Pakenham and Cranbourne trains went from every 30 to 20 minutes interpeak on this day. Helping Dandenong too with it going from a 15 to a 10 minute service. That matched weekends that got a ten minute service two years previously. This 10 minute train frequency boost was supported by adjustments to buses in the south-east with more information here: https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2014-07-27-south-east-melbourne-updates/ Its main error was the downgrading of the popular Route 767 from every 30 to every 40 minutes (later reversed). 

Buses to Melbourne Airport also improved on that date with details here: 
https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2014-07-27-improved-local-buses-to-melbourne-airport/

Note: This item was posted retrospectively for historical research purposes. 

Fare changes: Two hours means two hours (and not more)

Advice that the benefit of ticket validity period starting two hours after the next whole hour would be withdrawn from August 2014. In other words if you touched on at 1:01pm then your ticket would be valid for 2 hours from 2pm, or a total of nearly 3 hours to 4pm. The new rules make it strictly two hours after your first touch on, that is the ticket would expire at 3:01pm instead.

The effect of this would be to double the fare applying for many short distance return trips affecting mainly off-peak shoppers. Details below:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150919130515/https://ptv.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/news/changes-to-fares-in-august-2014/

Note: Item added retrospectively for posterity.