UN 244: Better Buses to Big Shopping Centres

Executive Summary: Improved buses to major shopping centres are the 'low hanging fruit' of the bus world. They have high patronage gains relative to their cost and often do not need network reform or new bus purchases. Many examples given here.   

Large shopping centres are also major destinations and employers. Especially for young people and students who are major public transport users. Retailing is already getting a higher political profile as new premier  Ben Carroll talks up his K-mart Airport West background. 

Unlike industrial areas or airports, major shopping centres already have extensive bus networks. At least on paper. Look up almost any local area public transport map. You will see many routes converging on shopping centres. It's not uncommon for shopping centres to have 10 or more bus routes feeding them. 

The problem is that many have timetables that are out of kilter with retail activity. For instance buses may start too late and finish too early for worker shifts. And it is common for service levels to collapse down to only every 40 to 60 minutes on weekends - the exact days that major shopping centres are busiest.

Having a weaker position in the labour market, flexible hours is more often on the employers' rather than the employees' terms. And unlike relatively privileged government sector workers, there are no work from home options.

For retail and hospo workers job-ready public transport requires wide operating hours and good frequencies, including on weekends. Compared to cases where new coverage is needed (such as many industrial areas), this is a good problem to have; in many cases improvements are possible just by operating existing routes more frequently for more of the week without needing to buy more buses. And the usage payoffs can be huge; Route 800 between Chadstone and Dandenong for example got a 200% patronage increase on Saturdays when its weekend bus services were improved in 2024. 

Here's my list of Melbourne's major shopping centres and suggested top three bus service improvements for each: 

Melbourne West

Altona Gate
* Boost 411 to every 15-20 min 7 days with longer hours 
* Boost 471 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours # 

Note: Network reform is desirable to simplify complex routes in Altona North area.  

Brimbank Shopping Centre
* Boost 420 bus with longer hours #
* Boost 423 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 424 bus to every 20 min with longer hours

Caroline Springs
* Boost 460 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 418 to every 20 min with longer hours
* Boost 426 to every 20 min with longer hours

Central Square
* Boost 411 to every 15-20 min 7 days with longer hours 
* Boost 498 to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 415 to operate 7 days with longer hours

Note: Network reform is desirable to consolidate 411 / 412 in Altona Meadows area. 

Highpoint
* Boost 406 bus to every 20 min or better on Sundays with longer hours #
* Boost 408 bus to every 20 min or better on Sundays with longer hours #
* Boost 468 bus to run 7 days with longer hours #

Note: Network reform could consolidate 223 and 406 to provide a simpler 10 min 7 day service from Footscray.

Keilor Central Shopping Centre
* Boost 418 bus to every 20 min and longer hours 
* Boost 421 bus to every 40 min on weekends with longer hours # 

Manor Lakes Shopping Centre
* Boost 190 bus to every 20 min on weekends
* Boost 166 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours 
* Boost 191 bus with longer hours

Pacific Werribee
* Boost 170 bus to every 10 min 7 days
* Boost 166 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours
* Boost 181 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours and merge with 498

Point Cook Town Centre
* Boost 494 and 495 buses to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours #
* Boost 498 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours
* Operate Route 400 to Point Cook Town Centre (instead of Laverton) to improve north-south access

Tarneit Central
* Boost 170 bus to every 10 min 7 days
* Boost 150 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours 
* Boost 152 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours

Watergardens Shopping Centre
* Boost 420 bus with higher evening frequency and longer hours #
* Boost 460 bus to every 20 min on weekends # 
* Boost 425 bus to every 20 min and longer hours 

Williams Landing Shopping Centre
* Boost 150 bus to every 20 min with longer hours
* Boost 152 bus to every 20 min with longer hours
* Boost 151 bus to every 20 min with longer hours

Woodgrove Melton
* Longer hours on all bus routes serving centre
* Revise timetables to a flat frequency across the week

Note: A bus network review to improve directness and frequency in Melton is essential as many routes have been substantially unchanged for decades and have been overtaken by growth. A concept network is here.

Melbourne North 

Airport West
* Boost 902 to every 15 or 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 477 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 479 to every 60 min weekends with longer hours #

Note: Network reform is desirable to simplify complex 469 and improve connectivity to Melbourne Airport via 478/479. More here.

Broadmeadows Central
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 - 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 902 bus to every 15 - 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 541 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #  

Campbellfield Plaza
* Boost 902 to every 15 or 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 531 to operate 7 days with longer hours #
* Extend both 536 and simplified 558 to centre

Craigieburn Central
* Boost 529 and 533 to every 20 min weekends #
* Boost 541 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 525 to every 20 min 

Gladstone Park
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 - 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 902 bus to every 15 - 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 477 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #  

Greensborough Plaza
* Boost 902 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 514 to operate every 20 min 7 days between Greensborough and Glenroy
* Boost 517 to operate every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #

Note: The Greensborough - Eltham area has a large number of complex and poorly used bus routes. Scope exists to simplify services while providing better coverage and connectivity with trains.  

Milleara Shopping Centre
* Boost 406 to every 20 min Sundays with longer hours #
* Boost 465 to every 20 min Sundays with longer hours #
* Boost 407 to run 7 days with longer hours #

Mill Park Stables
* Boost 566 bus to every 20 min, longer hours and simplify route
* Boost 382 with longer hours
* Boost 564 with longer hours

Northland
* Boost 527 bus to every 20 min or better on Sundays with longer hours #
* Boost 903 bus to every 20 min or better evenings and weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 556 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours and more direct alignment #

Note: Network reform could consolidate 527 and 903 to prvide a simpler 10 min 7 day service between Coburg and Heidelberg via Northland. 

Pacific Epping
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 or 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 556 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours and more direct alignment #
* Extend 566 bus to centre with service boosted to every 20 min and longer hours

Note: It is desirable that the currently in delivery network reform at Wollert include buses every 20 min or better to this centre with longer hours. 

Roxburgh Village
* Boost 901 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 541 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #  
* Boost 544 bus with longer operating hours 

Melbourne East

Box Hill Central
* Boost 903 to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours # 
* Boost 733 to every 15-20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 767 to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #

Brentford Square
* Boost 765 bus with higher frequency on weekends and longer hours #
* Boost 738 bus with higher frequency on weekends and longer hours # 
* A new Canterbury Rd bus between Box Hill and Ringwood

Chirnside Park
* Boost 670 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 901 to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 664 to every 30 min weekends with longer hours #

Doncaster Shoppingtown
* Boost 907 to every 10 min day / 15 min nights #
* Boost 281 with 7 day service and longer hours # 
* Boost 302/304 weekends to every 30 min each with longer hours #

Note: Network reform could consolidate 281 with 293 and remove deviations from 279 to provide a simpler and more frequent service. 

Eastland
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 670 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 742 bus to every 30 min weekends with longer hours #

Forest Hill Chase
* Boost 735 bus with higher frequency on weekends and longer hours #
* Boost 736 bus with higher frequency on weekends and longer hours # 
* A new Canterbury Rd bus between Box Hill and Ringwood

Mt Waverley Village
* Boost 733 to every 15-20 min on weekends with longer hours #

Pinewood
* Boost 703 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 737 bus to every 15 min on weekdays and 20 min weekends with longer hours 

Templestowe Village
* Boost 905 to every 15-20 min weekends #
* Boost 902 to every 15-20 min weekends #
* Boost 281 with 7 day service and longer hours # 

Note: Network reform has potential to consolidate 281 with 293 and provide for a simplified Heidelberg - The Pines route with resources from split 901. 

The Glen
* Boost 902 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 737 bus to every 15 min weekdays and 20 min weekends with longer hours 
* Boost 742 bus to every 30 min weekends with longer hours #

The Pines
* Boost 905 to every 15-20 min weekends #
* Boost 906 to every 15-20 min weekends #

Note: Scope exists to provide a simplified Heidelberg - The Pines route with resources from a split 901 to simplify buses in the area. 

Melbourne South-East

Bayside Frankston

* Boost 791 bus to run every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 901 bus to run every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Upgrade 833 bus to run every 20 min or better 7 days with longer hours

Note: Network reform is desirable to simplify bus routes in the Karingal (770/771), Frankston South (772/773/774) and Hastings (782/783) areas. 

Casey Central
* Boost 841 to every 20 min with longer hours
* Boost 892 to every 30 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 835 to every 40 min Sunday with longer hours #

Note: A bus network review to improve bus route directness is desirable in the Narre Warren South area.

Chadstone
* Boost 900 to every 10 min 7 days with longer hours #
* Boost 903 to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 623 to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #

Note: Network reform could consolidate 623 with parts of 624 and 693 with part of 742 to provide simpler routes and higher frequencies (every 20 min 7 days suggested).  

Cranbourne Park
* Boost 841 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 791 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 897 bus with longer hours #

Dandenong Market
* Boost 901 to every 15 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 811 to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours
* Extend Route 861 to Fountain Gate  

Dandenong Square
* Boost 828 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 893 to run until midnight with earlier weekend starts #
* Boost 844 to run 7 days # 

DFO Moorabbin
* Boost 828 to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #

Fountain Gate
* Boost 828 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 841 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours
* Boost 926 bus to every 20 min 7 days with longer hours

Karingal Hub
* Boost 791 bus to run every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Simplify routes 770 and 771 to run the same way both directions with higher frequency and longer hours

Knox City
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 737 bus to every 15 min weekdays and 20 min weekends with longer hours 
* Boost 732 bus to every 20 min weekends with longer hours #

Pakenham Marketplace
* Boost 926 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost all other routes with higher frequencies and longer hours

Parkmore Keysborough
* Boost 828 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 824 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 813 bus to every 20 min with longer hours

Note: Network reform could simplify local bus services and enable higher frequencies on key routes. 

Southland
* Boost 828 bus to every 20 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 822 bus to every 30 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 708 bus to every 30 min on weekends with longer hours #

Note: Network reform could realign 822 and 828 to provide a direct Bay St bus to Sandringham. Further simplification with Route 767 could provide a direct Chadstone - Southland bus via East Boundary Rd. 

Springvale Central
* Boost 902 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 811 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 813 bus to every 20 min with longer hours

Note: Network reform in area is desirable to simplify complex routes 813 and 814 and enable higher frequencies. 

Stud Park
* Boost 900 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 901 bus to every 15 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 691 bus to every 30 min on weekends with longer hours #

Note: Major bus network reform is needed in the Rowville/Lysterfield area to improve access to Stud Park. This should include the merging of FlexiRide into upgraded regular routes. 

Waverley Gardens
* Boost 850 bus to every 30 min on weekends with longer hours #
* Boost 813 bus to every 20 min with longer hours 
* Boost 814 bus to run 7 days with longer hours and higher frequency

Note: Network reform may be desirable to reduce inefficient overlaps on Police Rd and provide a new direct bus to Clayton Station via Centre Rd. 

(#) Possible with existing bus fleet 

Conclusion 

While a large number of upgrades is listed the majority make better use of the existing bus fleet.

Many are also already productive routes whose upgrade would improve bus connectivity for multiple trip purposes including rail feeders. 

An index to all Useful Network items is here

TT 238: The amazing Route 451 timetable

Buses are a write-off for most Melburnians travelling after dark. After 7pm bus frequency is typically down to every 40 minutes and service has often finished by 9:30pm. Trains are a bit more frequent, run longer hours but are frequently replaced by buses. Trams are the best of the three modes but are largely limited to inner suburbs. This is one reason why Melbourne ranks with Brisbane as being the Australian capital with the least equal public transport service provision.

However exceptions exist in unlikely places. Like Thornhill Park, a growth area suburb most Melburnians have probably never heard of. 

On July 26, 2026 new bus route 451 commenced between Cobblebank Station and Thornhill Park. Like what is becoming a welcome trend with growth area bus routes (other examples being 154, 390, 405, 475 and more) its interpeak weekday frequency is a respectable 20 minutes, matching trains in the area.

That's a big advance on the 40 minute frequency that is typical for local bus routes in Melbourne.    

Long operating hours

But that's not all. Two other features in its timetable make the 451 stand out. Firstly its late evening finish. Instead of finishing at around 9:30pm, the last trip from Cobblebank leaves around midnight Monday to Saturday and 11pm Sunday. The Sunday finish is nearly two hours later than any of the SmartBus orbitals - Melbourne's busiest bus routes. 

Frequent to late on weeknights

Secondly there's 451's weeknight frequency. Instead of falling to every 40 - 60 minutes, as is typical for buses (even those that are every 20 min off-peak weekdays), the 20 minute frequency remains until the last service around midnight. This frequency is extraordinary for buses in Melbourne, again exceeding popular main routes like 246, 901, 902, 903, 905, 906, 907 which drop to 30 minutes after about 8 or 9pm. 

Not frequent on weekends 

451's weeknight timetable is extraordinary but its weekend timetable, apart from its wide operating hours, is not. Its weekend service, like most other buses in Melbourne, is every 40 minutes. Though to be fair so is the train that it distributes passengers from due to Melton not yet having the 20 minute weekend V/Line frequency that Geelong enjoys.   

451's 40 minute weekend frequency also matches other recent growth area bus routes like 390, 405, 475 and upgraded Craigieburn routes like 529 and 533 that are nevertheless every 20 minutes on weekdays. However it is inferior to some recently upgraded routes in the Wyndham area (eg 153, 154, 170, 180, 192) that have their 20 minute frequency operating all week. 

A new service template for buses

Not so long ago if a growth area bus was put in it would typically run every 40 minutes until about 9pm. Operating hours would be quite limited with relatively late starts on weekends especially. 

We have since seen three welcome changes in scheduling practice. These mark are an advance on the 2006 minimum service standards (which were 6am - 9pm M-F, 8am-9pm Sat, 9am-9pm Sun with a 60 minute maximum wait, though more often implemented as a 40 minute service). 

The first of these is wider operating hours. While it might only add a couple of hours later span at night and maybe also earlier weekend mornings it still makes buses more useful for trips that would otherwise be impossible. Such wider hours can be applied (as they were on July 26) to new routes like the 451 discussed here, upgraded growth area routes like 511 and upgraded established area routes like 536. The new pattern appears to be an evening finish around 11pm or midnight Monday to Saturday and 10pm Sunday. The latter means that there are now local routes still running in outer suburbs after the orbitals have finished. 

The second is 20 minute weekday frequencies between the peaks. This is now common for new growth area routes and some funded upgrades (eg 476). In some cases where buses are scarce or are used for school services there can be large gaps in the peaks such as seen on routes like 192. As noted with the 451 weekday evening service can remain at every 20 minutes until late rather than falling off as is more usual. 

Thirdly, and less commonly, are routes that run every 20 minutes across the week. These are concentrated in Wyndham (thanks to recent upgrades) but are less prevalent in areas where they might equally be justified eg in Craigieburn and parts of the south-east. Every 20 minutes on weekends is frequent by Melbourne standards for a bus given that orbital SmartBuses remain with 30 minute gaps and most other local routes are every 40 or 60 minutes, especially on Sundays. 

A backlog

Bus timetables, their frequencies and hours reflect history as much as usage, social need or a route's  network importance. There is no clear hierarchy with back street routes running more frequently and/or over longer hours at certain times as premium SmartBus routes. 451 is an example on weeknights but there are many others like the high frequency of 582 at Eltham on weekend mornings. 

Similar applies for routes that have a strong justification to run more frequently on weekends but do not. Ditto for those without Sunday service or which finish early at night. Backlogs can go back decades.

Most notable is almost the entire bus network in the City of Knox with routes like 757 and 758 to Knox City operating to the same limited weekday only timetables they ran when they started in 1982. Some routes like 536 and 800 that were cut in the early 1990s have only recently had  Sunday service restored. Even more commonly are high usage potential routes that got 'minimum standards' upgrades about 15-20 years ago that justify a 20 minute weekend service but remain with 40 to 60 minute gaps such as Route 828. 

To sum up the wider operating hours and higher frequencies of some recently introduced routes are good but now need to be applied to popular established routes to make the bus network simpler and more useful. 

See other Timetable Tuesday items here

UN 243: Simpler buses for Airport West and Melbourne Airport

Executive Summary: Potential exists to make better use of our existing buses to better connect Melbourne Airport to surrounding suburbs. A cost-effective example with improved airport connectivity for Sunbury, Airport West, Essendon and Moonee Ponds is presented here. 

Last week I covered improved access to Melbourne Airport, with an emphasis on what can be done in the short term. This is important as airport rail is years away and even if we had it tomorrow it wouldn't much improve connectivity from suburbs north and east of the airport. Or for airport workers who need regular fare transit options. 

Surrounding Melbourne Airport are residential and light industrial suburbs, largely built between between the 1960s and 1990s. They were then outer suburbs but would today be regarded as middle-distance. 

They are far enough from rail to make most of their populations dependent on buses as their nearest public transport but they are not so new as to get growth area funding. Thus their bus networks can sit unreformed for years, if not decades as priorities are always elsewhere and their turn never comes (at least without community campaigning - think 527 bus in Coburg North or 536 in Glenroy). 

Northern suburbs of this type include Dallas, Campbellfield, Coburg North, Glenroy, Keilor East and, today's topic, Airport West and Niddrie. Significantly both are sufficiently close to Melbourne Airport to deliver connectivity gains for it and as far north as Sunbury if local bus networks were improved. 

Airport West bus network concept

This doesn't claim to fix everything. But it seeks to simplify existing bus routes to deliver: 

* Simpler connection from the 59 tram to Melbourne Airport with longer hours, higher frequency and just one route number to remember from Airport West with a new Route 480 to replace existing 478 and 479

* Ten times the weekend service from Sunbury to Melbourne Airport with many more trips on the 480 compared to the current twice-daily 479. Longer operating hours too to benefit airport workers    

* One seat ride to Melbourne Airport from Essendon and Moonee Ponds with new 480 to replace part of 469

* Seven day Moonee Ponds to Sunbury service over longer hours with new 480 replacing existing 483

* Simplified Route 469 with a potential Highpoint extension to deliver seven day service to all bus stops in Avondale Heights by merging with existing limited service 407

Simplifying bus routes can be a swings and roundabouts affair with some worse off and some better off. Though the above is likely better off overall for most. 

Least controversial is likely the splitting of the 469 at Airport West. No one would ride it end to end as it is so indirect. The above concept leaves the Keilor East/Airport West half as the 469 (terminating at Westfield) while the Strathmore/Moonee Ponds portion becomes part of the new 480 (effectively an extended/merged Route 478/479).

The remaining Airport West - Milleara part of the 469 could be merged with another route to improve scheduling efficiency and/or connect to a stronger terminus. The obvious route to join it to is the 407 - a local Avondale Heights route to Highpoint that currently runs limited hours Monday to Saturday only. An extended 469 could operate between Airport West and Highpoint, creating a 7 day neighbourhood style route with stronger termini. 

The new 480 (which would be more frequent and run longer hours than the current 478/479) would provide one-seat access from Moonee Ponds and Essendon Station to Melbourne Airport, restoring a connection that was (infrequently) possible before 2014. As well access between Sunbury and Melbourne Airport would be much improved, especially on weekends. 

Then there's the Moonee Ponds/Essendon to Sunbury connection. This is currently possible on the 483 Monday to Saturday. It doesn't get very strong usage, at least outside school times. The new 480 would perform this role, but at a higher frequency and seven days per week. While the 480 does not operate through Niddrie, the 476, which will soon get a large improvement from every 40 to every 20 minutes on weekdays, does. And further north in Sunbury the 483's unique catchment reduced when the 475, which already runs every 20 minutes on weekdays, commenced.  

This leaves the area with two simplified routes to replace the 407, 478, 479 and potentially 483. 

* 469 Airport West - Milleara SC - Highpoint (after merger with 407)

* 480 Sunbury - Airport West - Moonee Ponds 

The 469 might take about 55 min end to end with the existing 40 min frequency retained. The 480 might take about 70 min for its full length. This makes a 40 minute frequency economical. Short workings between Melbourne Airport and Airport West would be desirable to provide a 20 min combined frequency on this portion. 

A number of service options are possible but it should be possible to do some reform with the existing  number of buses. Not all buses in the area are run by the same operator but there is precedent of multiple companies successfully operating key cross-regional routes such as occurs on the 900 between Caulfield and Rowville. 

Need for a simpler network

The Airport West/Niddrie area has Melbourne's usual fare of meandering bus routes running every 20 to 40 minutes until approximately 9pm. The most recent significant change was several years ago where the meandering 501 was replaced by the almost as perplexing route 469. This was also associated with the deletion of the also complex 475 and its replacement with a rerouted less direct 476.

The only semi-frequent route is the 477 which runs every 20 min on weekdays (though only every 40 min on weekends). This will be joined by the 476 which will be improved to a similar frequency following 2026 state budget funding. 

Key issues with the Airport West and Niddrie bus network include: 

* Limited operating hours (and in some cases no Sunday service) on routes 478, 479 and 483. 
* Limited connectivity north to Melbourne Airport and east-west eg Niddrie - Pascoe Vale
* Complex routes such as the indirect 469
* Weak termini affecting the 469 and in adjoining suburbs routes 406, 407, 465 and 467 also. 
* Inefficient overlaps and low productivity on some routes such as 469 and 483

Sunbury (which shares some routes with this network) is handicapped by: 

* Hourly Route 479 weekday frequency to Melbourne Airport does not mesh with local buses every 40 min and runs just two trips on weekends 
* Route 483 to Moonee Ponds runs hourly, has limited hours, lacks Sunday service but is also weak on unique coverage and productivity 

Many issues are visible on the local area maps for Moonee Valley and Hume. The network concept outlined before seeks to address most of these issues while being economical with bus usage. 

Scope for more

The above cut-price network does not address all concerns with the Airport West/Niddrie bus network. Moonee Ponds Creek, the Citylink freeway and bus operator history limit east-west connectivity. Routes such as 561 and 512 have weak western termini. Extending a route like 512 westward to Essendon North or Niddrie could provide some connectivity not well catered for by existing routes. 

Previously identified issues with the weak termini for routes like 406 and 465 remain in Keilor East. A local train station will provide a logical termination point but in the interim a case exists to extend these to stronger termini such as on the Sunbury line or even Melbourne Airport. 

Airport connectivity could also be improved if a Route 500 airport rail Sunshine - Keilor East - Melbourne Airport precursor bus route commences, with potential for this to extend to Broadmeadows and Doncaster to create a Suburban Rail Loop North precursor bus.  

Also, regardless of when Airport Rail starts, a North West Melbourne Bus Rapid Transit via Keilor East could connect many currently disconnected parts of Melbourne's north-west with each other and to western growth areas. 

See other Useful Network items

TT 237: 40 minute gaps gone from 5 lines - A look through Melbourne's August 2026 train timetables

 

Executive Summary: A worthwhile package of improvements that makes rail travel more useful for more trips. But despite political messaging about the dependence these have on large infrastructure projects, many could have been done years ago. 

The Melbourne suburban rail network will be almost free of 40 minute gaps between trains when a new timetable starts in less than two weeks. The timetable will slash maximum waits on five lines and upgrade peak capacity and service on others. Some V/Line corridors, including Seymour/Shepparton, Wyndham Vale/Geelong as well as South Gippsland coaches will also benefit. An unlikely line emerges as the biggest winner from the new timetable - keep reading to find out what it is! 

Metro service upgrades

Summarised in this animation below. 

You can click to stop it to read the fine print but there's a better summary here:  

Transport Victoria explains these changes here. These add 390 trips per week on the Metro network. This is an average of 56 more trips per day. Or a rise of 2.2% on Metro Trains' current 18000 trips per week master timetable.   

What does all this mean?

* The busy Craigieburn line gets 115 services per week added, with Sunday morning, evening and shoulder peak boosts, implementing 2025 State Budget funded upgrades. Before the increase it had gaps between trains of 40 min on Sunday morning and 30 minutes at night. However midday frequency remains at 20 minutes, well short of the 10 minute service proposed in the Metro Tunnel Business case. 

* The Upfield line gets similar evening and Sunday morning improvements to the Craigieburn line, amounting to 77 extra trips per week. Its peaks remain at every 16 minutes. The 2026 state budget funded a study of the line's duplication and extension to permit improved frequency. 

* Sandringham line is the biggest winner in this timetable change with three main improvements. These include cutting its 40 minute Sunday morning gaps to 20 minutes, improving weekday interpeak frequency from 15 to 10 minutes and through running it to Southern Cross, North Melbourne, Footscray, Newport and beyond. Through running will hopefully also mean nicer platforms at Flinders St with shorter walking distances. 

The government's release groups Werribee, Laverton, Williamstown and Sandringham as getting more than 180 extra services per week. Accidentally or otherwise, this grouping obscures the fact that the vast majority of the extra trips will be at the Sandringham (eastern) end, not the western (Werribee) end. 

* The Werribee line will gain some extra peak frequency plus resumed direct access to Richmond, South Yarra and beyond. Like Sandringham, this was funded in the 2025 State Budget. But unlike Sandringham these upgrades do not extend to a 10 minute off-peak weekday frequency. Like with the Metro Tunnel's West Footscray turnback, eastern sections of through lines tend to get the higher off-peak frequencies. 

The May 2025 announcement was 2 extra trains per hour in the morning and afternoon peaks, increasing service from every 10 to every 7.5 minutes on average. This is delivered for one hour in the mornings and one hour in the afternoons. A welcome early morning trip (which qualifies for free Early Bird travel) is added at 6:22am. However the new timetable does not fill the 24 minute gap after 7:46pm (caused by the weeknight transition from express to via Altona running). 

A summary of peak direction trips (times at Werribee) is below. The new timetable adds three morning trips and two afternoon trips, or 25 extra trips per week. 

Let's now talk about the cross city part of Sandringham - Werribee. 

Connecting Sandringham to the Werribee end partly restores the cross-city group that was served by the Frankston line prior to it returning to the City Loop when the Metro Tunnel started. The reason why I say partly is that whereas this group ran every 10 minutes every day when it ran from Frankston, weekend cross-city service from Sandringham will be only every 20 minutes. This low weekend frequency reduces direct access to the MCG from the west and makes the Metro Tunnel a net negative for South Yarra due to a reduced service.

Cross-city running is a good concept that works in other cities (and Melbourne prior to the City Loop). It was brought back about 15 years ago to optimise track use.  But we never quite perfected it with transposals, disruptions, shutdowns and conflicting passenger information common. Restoring reliable cross-city running is not just a timetable change but a cultural and operational one for DTP and Metro Trains. Ultimately it could become a second Metro line in the form of the Werribee Fast Rail concept I discussed here. 

* The Mernda line and most of the Hurstbridge line have their maximum waits reduced from 40 to 30 minutes due to Sunday mornings improving from every 40 to every 20 minutes. Along with the other lines' improvements these almost entirely remove the network's remaining 40 minute Sunday morning frequencies, at least after about 7:30 or 8am. The 30 minute maximum wait arises from evening timetables which remain half-hourly. Both weekend evening and Sunday morning uplifts for Mernda and Hurstbridge were funded in the 2026 state budget but they found a way to bring forward the latter (possibly as a pre-election sweetener). This needed just 8 extra weekly trips per line, indicating how cheap it is to remove irritants like infrequent Sunday morning service from timetables.  

Speaking of pre-election sweeteners, Ringwood (but not Belgrave or Lilydale) get one extra trip on Friday nights and another on Saturday, amounting to just two trips per week to busy stations that have not seen any service uplift for a decade.

This is embarrassing for a government that has done many disruptive level crossing removals in the area but not returned any favours in increased service. Unless they can cobble up a hasty timetable change in November, the 2026 Budget funding for additional weeknight services may have come through too late to help their electoral fortunes in the eastern suburbs.  

Source: Government media release & Transport Victoria timetables

It is worth noting that most of the above service increases could have been done at any time in the last few decades. That is they were not dependent on infrastructure, new trains or level crossing removals. Their timing was more likely a political choice, possibly to improve messaging about the benefits of major projects.  

Progress on keeping promises

Previous premier Jacinta Allan promised "A new timetable everywhere" for February 1 when in fact only the Metro Tunnel lines and Frankston got anything significant on that date. 

The 23 August 2026 timetable fully delivers on five lines and partly delivers on two more. 

The two part delivered lines and all four not delivered lines are likely to have new timetables, funded in the 2026 budget, in 2027. However even after that these six lines will remain with 30 minute maximum gaps at certain times (weeknights for the Clifton Hill group and interpeak weekdays/weekends for the Burnley group) as this year's budget did not include these. The same goes for Craigieburn and Upfield ten minute interpeak services. 

 

A silver linking has been better than expected progress on removing 40 minute gaps. Back in February it appeared that Sandringham would get 10 minute weekday interpeak frequencies but remain at every 40 minutes on Sunday mornings. Fortunately sense has prevailed and the timetable includes a boost to every 20 minutes. The same can be said for Mernda and Hurstbridge (to Eltham) that get Sunday morning frequency doubled only three months after the budget that funded them. 

Bus service changes

Some metropolitan bus routes get new timetables on 23 August. 

Route 561, a major route across the north serving La Trobe University, will get a major weeknight improvement to run every 20 minutes until late. 

Another major east-west route, the 390 from Craigieburn to Mernda, gets a Saturday evening lift from every 30 to every 20 minutes. This creates a case where service late on a Saturday evening (every 20 min) is twice as frequent as midday Saturdays where services remain every 40 minutes. Presumably this is to connect with evening trains at Craigieburn which get improved to every 20 min. 

Interestingly Craigieburn routes like 529 and 533 appear not to get similar upgrades with these remaining at every 30 min at night.  

513 and 514 get what appear to be minor tweaks, though these do not address other problems with their timetables. 

A significant number of regional city buses and coaches will get time changes to retain connections. 

V/Line service upgrades

The V/Line website explains their 23 August changes well. 

* Shepparton and Seymour are the big winners with some overdue upgrades. Shepparton improves to every 9 weekday services and 5 weekend services per day with trains replacing some coach trips. That's 48 extra trips per week on a historically underserved line.  

Seymour, which is increasingly a growth area line due to stations at locations like Donnybrook, gets an even hourly service on weekends with late finishes. Weekend trains will also stop at Craigieburn. However weeknight service gets less attention with large gaps remaining. 

* The Geelong line has 40 services per week extended to Waurn Ponds. This is a step forward. However it does not fully resolve the weekday / weekend differences at Waurn Ponds. That is Waurn Ponds enjoys a 20 minute weekend service but its weekday frequency remains at 40 minutes. 

In addition ten peak services will run to Wyndham Vale each week. The use of nine car (up from six car) should hopefully relieve crowding. These changes will come ahead of the opening of West Tarneit Station on Sunday 13 September. 

Some other V/Line times will change. Some peak Traralgon line trips will start/finish at Flinders St Station instead of Southern Cross. On the coach side there will be some additional South Gippsland services. 

Watch the video

Conclusion

These frequency upgrades are exactly the type that will make the Melbourne rail network more useful for diverse trips across the week, not just 9-5 weekday CBD commutes. They deliver 20 minute maximum waits for Craigieburn and Upfield while almost eliminating 40 minute Sunday morning gaps across the network. In addition Sandringham will join lines to Watergardens, Dandenong, Frankston, Newport and Clifton Hill in enjoying 10 minute off-peak weekday service.

To complete the job more upgrades like them are needed, not just those funded in the 2026 State Budget but also further improvements to cut maximum waits across the network to 20 minutes followed by a progressive roll-out of more ten minute service. 

See other Timetable Tuesday items here

UN 242: No passengers but more buses - How Western Sydney is trouncing Melbourne on airport PT

Executive Summary: Despite not yet serving passengers, the second airport in Australia's second biggest city has better public transport access than the main airport in Australia's biggest city. Described is a way to cost-effectively deliver the overdue better bus service Melbourne Airport workers and visitors deserve. 

Regardless of new premier Ben Carroll's enthusiasm for Airport Rail, its completion will be a long way off.

In the foreseeable future if we want better transport from surrounding suburbs (such as where many airport precinct workers live) buses must be much of the answer. I've written before about opportunities for better bus access to Melbourne Airport, including here, here, here, here and here. And credit/debit card tap and go, introduced last month, removes another barrier to using regular bus services.

How do does Melbourne Airport compare with other airports for public transport? 

There are various airports we could talk about but let's be easy on ourselves by setting the bar low.

It would almost be a given that a busy long-established airport would have better transport than a new one that hasn't started carrying passengers yet. Or is it? Keep reading!   

Western Sydney International Airport public transport

A new bus network for Western Sydney International Airport commenced on July 5, 2026 with more details here. This was ahead of its opening for cargo on July 27. Passenger service is planned to start on October 25. 

This network comprises five bus routes to four major termini surrounding Western Sydney International Airport (WSI). These termini are Mt Druitt (772), Kingswood (790), Liverpool (825), Campbelltown (845) and Liverpool via Leppington (860). 

All five routes run 6am to 10pm seven days per week with service every 30 minutes. This harmonises with trains (typically every 15 minutes from early morning to late at night). 

Melbourne Airport buses 

Four regular fare metropolitan bus routes operate to Melbourne Airport. These run to three destinations - Sunbury, Airport West and Frankston (let's call it Broadmeadows, though you might also wish to count Roxburgh Park and Epping). 

Unlike the Western Sydney examples, their hours and frequencies vary hugely. The Route 901 orbital offers the best service, with a 15 minute weekday daytime frequency and some Monday to Saturday trips after 10pm. 901's weekend service is similar to any of the Western Sydney routes with buses every 30 minutes. However the trains it intersects are typically every 20 minutes (and sometimes 30 or 40 minutes), making connections less consistent. Sydney upgraded its trains to a 15 minute maximum wait at most stations in 2017. 

The next best served corridor is the 478/479 pair to Airport West from where passengers can catch the 59 tram to Niddrie, Essendon and the city. The combined service here is 30 min weekdays and hourly weekends though operating hours are short. The 479 is an extended 478, operating to Sunbury every hour on weekdays, falling to just two trips on weekend days. Finally, the 482 can be disregarded as it's an occasional peak-only industrial route to Airport West. 

One recent improvement that has made travel from Melbourne Airport easier is the acceptance of credit and debit cards on public transport across the state. I highlighted the benefits for airport travellers last month. However Transport Victoria didn't get the memo with their airport travel page still claiming a Myki is required for travel on regular bus routes. 

Comparison

The graph below tells the story. 

The long-established Melbourne Airport (which passes 96000 passengers per day) has a far inferior bus network than an upstart Western Sydney airport that currently has no passengers. Not that passengers is the only metric when considering airport travel demand; workers due to their every day travel are also important (even if only a minority take the bus). This is something that Sydney understands but Melbourne does not despite customer parking charges being a major source of revenue for the latter. 

MEL's inferiority is due to both (a) a smaller number of routes and (b) a lower frequency on routes that do run, especially nights and weekends. The collapse in both is shown below.  

Whereas WSI's five routes provide a consistent half-hourly service all week from 6am to 10pm, the service offer to Melbourne Airport varies greatly. For example the 482 is an occasional peak only industrial route, the 478 runs hourly seven days while 479 to Sunbury is hourly on weekdays with a token two trips on weekends. 

MEL's strength is the 901 orbital's fifteen minute weekday frequency versus 30 minutes for all of WSI's routes. 901 also finishes a little later most nights of the week. But otherwise everything is in Western Sydney International's favour, whether it is geographic reach, stations connected, operating hours, frequency and service levels at surrounding train stations.

Melbourne Airport especially lacks direct public bus connections to western and northern suburbs such as Sunshine, Keilor, Caroline Springs, Greenvale and Craigieburn. And access to others where there is on-paper a bus, such as Airport West and Sunbury, is limited due to short hours and infrequent service. 

Six fixes for Melbourne Airport PT

The main airport for Australia's biggest city should have better regular bus services than the secondary airport for Australia's second largest city. That means longer hours. more frequency and more destinations. 

Here's six ways to achieve this: 

1. Establish a new regular fare bus route from Sunshine to Melbourne Airport similar to the Route 500 concept here. Noting that a premium fare express Skybus already exists this route would have intermediate stops at key employment locations with potential operation via East Keilor. A Sunshine - Melbourne Airport bus route features in Brimbank Council's 2025-27 Advocacy Plan. 

2. Swap Routes 901 and 902 at Broadmeadows so that 902 operates to Melbourne Airport and 901 to Airport West. Supported by the Northern Councils Alliance, this provides more direct access to middle-northern suburbs and train lines and be effectively a Suburban Rail Loop North precursor route. Desirable enhancements for both reformed routes (but especially 902) include adding Sunday evening service, boosting weekend service to every 20 min or better and potentially extending it to Sunshine to incorporate the above 500. 

3. Upgrade and simplify bus route 478/479. Operate all trips (including short-workings from Airport West to Melbourne Airport) as Route 479 so people have only one route number to remember and frequency is better communicated. Have a uniform weekday and weekend frequency for both Airport West and Sunbury. Increase operating hours and frequency and improve passenger information to boost currently low awareness of this service. A Route 479 upgrade is supported by the Northern Councils Alliance due to the high number of airport precinct workers who live in Sunbury. 

4. A new local bus route from Melbourne Airport to the Caroline Springs area via Keilor Plains Station. This would have both airport and non airport connectivity benefits including connecting Keilor to its nearest train station. This could potentially extend further west as part of a North West BRT.

5. Wider northern suburbs rail and bus service improvements including:
(a) Craigieburn line upgrade to every 10 minutes off-peak,
(b) Extension of evening and weekend morning trains that terminate at West Footscray to Watergardens to provide a consistent 10 minute all week day and night frequency, 
(c) upgrade Tram 59 evening and early Sunday morning frequency, 
(d) bus network reform in the Keilor East area to provide longer hours, higher frequencies and stronger termini for routes such as  406, 407, 465 and 469,
(e) 7 day upgrade and extension to Coburg for the 531 bus to improve connections at Campbellfield pending the construction of a rail station, with local advocacy here,
(f) simplification of Reservoir area bus routes 552 and 558 to enable easier access to the 902, and
(g) potential new bus route from Melbourne Airport via Mickleham Rd to Craigieburn. 

6. Wider northern suburbs rail infrastructure improvements including:
(a) Revamp of Broadmeadows Station to improve its amenity as an interchange, including for international/interstate visitors, as recently spoken about by Kathleen Matthews-Ward MP
(b)  and a new station at Campbellfield to interchange with Route 902, and 
(c) Upfield line duplication to enable a 10 minute all week frequency.
 
All six points have connectivity benefits wider than Melbourne Airport and would amount to a transformation of public transport in the north/north-west suburbs. 

Conclusion

Currently the secondary airport in Australia's second biggest city has better public transport access than the main airport in Australia's biggest city. Western Sydney also adds service before the airport becomes fully established to lock in travel habits early while Melbourne doesn't add service until decades later (if at all). 

The people who disproportionately bear the cost of this poor service are not airport travellers (who overwhelmingly only use the airport a few times a year and have a premium fare Skybus alternative) but airport workers, many of whom are not on particularly high incomes and live in surrounding suburbs.

Thus improved buses from Melbourne Airport is a bread-and-butter cost of living matter widening job opportunities and delivering real benefits to peoples' pockets. As distinct from Airport Rail whose direct network benefits, with the notable exception of a new station at Keilor East, are more symbolic and  harder to quantify.   

Cost-effective ways to provide better public transport to Melbourne Airport ahead of Airport Rail are outlined above. This would have benefits for visitors and (especially) airport precinct workers alike. They should be implemented as soon as possible given their relatively low cost, widespread benefits and ease of implementation. 

See other Useful Network items

New Public Transport Minister announced

 

New premier Ben Carroll is busy putting his stamp on the state Labor government he took the leadership of last week. After distancing himself from his predecessors ("I'm not Daniel Andrews. I'm not Jacinta Allan") his first action was to call a royal commission into construction industry corruption, something the previous premier refused to do. 

Mr Carroll has assembled his inner office and has started working outwards to the ministry and senior bureaucracy. An early sign of the finance people being back in charge was current DTF Secretary Chris Barrett moving across to head Premier and Cabinet. 

His new ministry is 2 people smaller than the one it replaced. And some portfolios have been removed. 

The new ministry

Appointed this morning. Colin Brooks (Bundoora MP) becomes Treasurer. Sonya Kilkenny loses Finance but keeps Planning and Attorney-General portfolios. 

Vicki Ward (Eltham MP) becomes the new Public Transport Minister after being responsible for Emergency Services. And Box Hill member Paul Hamer, who has an engineering background, picks up Roads and Road Safety. The new roles would be seen as promotions for both. 

Ms Ward replaces Gabrielle Williams who is elevated to become Deputy Premier and takes on Education. Mr Hamer replaces Ros Spence who gains Youth Justice and Corrections roles. 

Some titles have changed. Active Transport is dropped from a ministerial title. Transport Infrastructure and Suburban Rail Loop lose their separate ministerial roles. Though we have yet to see whether some of these get mentioned in Parliamentary Secretary titles. 

Broader context

In transport the capital intensive "it costs what it costs" Big Build Allanism appears to be winding down in favour of a financially tighter Bracks-like style. Of interest is that Transport Infrastructure and SRL do not feature in the new ministry as separate portfolio names.

Mr Carroll appears closer to Bracks than his immediate two predecessors and holds similar stricter attitudes with regards to budgets and borrowing. As a general guide, I get the sense that Steve Bracks would rather break a promise to save the budget whereas Daniel Andrews would rather break the budget to honour a promise. Much of this would have been a perceived need to build trust in Labor as responsible financial managers following the chaotic last few years of the Cain-Kirner government. 

Andrews famously said "We say what we do and do what we say". In 2022 I concluded there was a lot of truth in this based on 2014 promises. However Andrews was also not above raising and then dashing expectations when electoral opportunities beckoned, such as the pivot from the Western Rail Plan to SRL East, as documented by Kos Samaras here. While this delivered large victories in 2018 and 2022 it did not assist Labor's standing in the north and west, something that is high on Mr Carroll's agenda to restore.  

As for Steve Bracks, while he is universally loved across Labor, his government's record in metropolitan public transport was patchy with many 1999 transport promises broken, falling rail reliability, signing ill-advised myki and Southern Cross Station contracts and needless system rebranding. On the positive side there were restored and improved regional rail services and the biggest uplift in metropolitan bus services for at least 50 years. And under minister Peter Batchelor it made a hard decision on Eastlink tolling due to the need to rescue the collapsed metropolitan rail franchises signed by the previous government. 

Mr Carroll most differs from Bracks in the timing of when he became premier. Bracks came in as leader of a fresh, albeit minority, government that governed for over a decade. Mr Carroll comes in at what could be the end of a 12 year old government with an election just four months away.

Someone who is possibly a better parallel is WA's Carmen Lawrence. She was also the third premier in a long-term Labor government soured by corruption allegations. As well as coming to the role from the Education portfolio she also called a Royal Commission into what became known as 'WA Inc'. 


Challenges for the new minister

This is unlikely to be the season for future 'Big Build' projects, even though significant needs remain as Melbourne continues to grow. And there are pressures due to the government facing an election in less than four months. 

Instead emphasis is likely to be on making use of our existing assets and service improvements. This direction was to some extent set in the 2025 and 2026 State Budgets under previous minister Gabrielle Williams. But there's a huge backlog to catch up on given how much priorities were skewed against service for so long. 

I outlined some priorities for public transport under the Carroll government here.

Past blog posts on recent PT ministers 

The philosophy of 'Allanism'

Testing times for Minister Horne 

Challenges for Minister Carroll 

Welcoming Gabrielle Williams