Railways in Melbourne - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Melbourne rail network is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne

Metro Trains Melbourne

Metro Trains Melbourne is the current franchise operator of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture led by Hong Kong based MTR Corporation together with John Holland Group and United Group Rail .Metro Trains Melbourne operates a fleet of 381...

under franchise

Franchising

Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....

from the Government of Victoria

Government of Victoria

The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...

. The network is based on a commuter rail model centred on the Melbourne Central Business District

Melbourne city centre

Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...

(CBD) and Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...

, rather than a rapid transit

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

model, with a focus on services at peak periods

Rush hour

A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...

. It does, however, have a service frequency significantly and span better than most comparable 'commuter rail' systems, and might therefore be defined more accurately as a commuter/rapid transit hybrid.

Melbourne's suburban railway network consists of 16 electrified

Railway electrification system

A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...

lines, the central City Loop subway, and 200 stations

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

, with a total length of 372 km of electrified lines. The suburban network operates between approximately 5.00 am and midnight. The network is primarily at ground level, with a number of level crossings, and tracks shared with freight trains

Freight railways in Melbourne

The city of Melbourne, Australia has an extensive network of railway lines and yards to serve freight traffic. The lines are of two gauges - broad gauge and standard gauge, and are unelectrified...

and V/Line

V/Line

V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...

regional services.

In the 2008–2009 financial year, the Melbourne rail network recorded 213.9 million passenger trips, the highest in its history.

History

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

's first railway line opened in 1854, when only 20 years earlier Melbourne itself did not exist. The network was extended with lines being built to the suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

s, reaching a peak by the 1900s. Electrification of the system commenced from 1919, with electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

operation commencing at the same time.

In 1839 the Government Surveyor Robert Hoddle

Robert Hoddle

Robert Hoddle was a surveyor of Port Phillip in the 1830s, and the creator of the Hoddle Grid, the street grid system upon which inner city Melbourne is based. He was also an accomplished artist and depicted scenes of the Port Philip region as well as New South Wales...

provided for a railway linking Melbourne

Melbourne

and Hobsons Bay

Hobsons Bay

Hobsons Bay is a bay in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia....

.

On 7 September 1851 a public meeting called for a railway linking Melbourne to Port Melbourne (then called Sandridge) which led to the establishment on 20 January 1853 of the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company was founded on 20 January 1853 to build Australia's first railway broad gauge line from Melbourne to the port of Sandridge...

. On 8 February 1853 the Government also approved the establishment of the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company

Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company

The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a railway in 1857 from Geelong to Newport. In 1859 this line was extended to Spencer Street Station and a branch line was opened from Newport to Williamstown Pier. The Company was taken...

and the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

The Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. It was established on 8 February 1853 to build a railway from Melbourne to Echuca on the Victorian-NSW border, as well as a branch railway to Williamstown, but struggled to make any progress...

.

In 1855 the Government conducted enquiries and carried out surveys into country railways. On 1 April 1856, the Railway Department

Victorian Railways

The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...

was established as part of the Board of Land and Works with George Christian Darbyshire

George Christian Darbyshire

George Christian Darbyshire was an English and Australian civil engineer. He was the second son of George Darbyshire, also a surveyor and railway engineer.-Early life:...

being appointed Engineer in Chief. On 23 May of that year the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

was taken over by the Government.

The first train

Work began on laying the first railway in Victoria on March 1853, the line stretching 4 km. from the Melbourne (or City) Terminus (on the site of modern day Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station

) to Sandridge (now Port Melbourne). As with many of Australia's early railways, it was owned and operated by a private company - the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

, which was formed in 1853.

Trains were ordered from Robert Stephenson and Company of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The first train was locally built by Robertson, Martin and Smith, however, owing to delays in shipping. Australia's first steam locomotive was built in ten weeks and cost £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

2,700. Forming the first steam train to travel in Australia, it made its maiden voyage on 12 September 1854.

The opening of the line occurred during the period of the Victorian gold rush

Victorian gold rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...

- a time when both Melbourne and Victoria undertook massive capital works, each with its own gala opening. The inaugural journey on the Sandridge line was no exception. According to the Argus

The Argus (Australia)

The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...

newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

's report of the next day: "Long before the hour appointed ... a great crowd assembled round the station at the Melbourne terminus, lining the whole of Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...

". Lieutenant-Governor

Governors of Victoria

The Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...

Sir Charles Hotham

Charles Hotham

Sir Charles Hotham, KCB, RN was Lieutenant-governor and, later, Governor of Victoria, Australia from 22 June 1854 to 10 November 1855.-Early life:...

and Lady Hotham were aboard the train - which consisted of two first class

First class travel

First class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.-Aviation:...

carriages and one second class - and were presented with satin

Satin

Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...

copies of the railway's timetable

Public transport timetable

A public transport timetable is a representation of public transport information to assist a passenger with planning a trip using public transport. A timetable details when vehicle will arrive and depart specified locations and may be organised for by route or for a particular stop...

and bylaw

Bylaw

By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...

s.

The trip took 10 minutes, none of the later stations along the line having been built yet. On arriving at Station Pier (onto which the tracks extended), it was hailed with gun-salutes by the warships HMS Electra and HMS Fantome.

By March 1855, the four engines ordered from the UK were all in service, with trains running every half-hour. They were named Melbourne, Sandridge, Victoria, and Yarra (after the Yarra River

Yarra River

The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...

over which the line crossed).

Early privateers

Melbourne's second railway line opened 13 May 1857, when the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

opened their 4.5 km line from the Melbourne (or City) Terminus (on the site of modern day Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station

) to St Kilda

St Kilda, Victoria

St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...

. This line was later extended by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company

St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company

The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia to Bay Street in 1859 and Beach in 1861....

, which opened a line from St Kilda to Brighton in 1857.

Country lines were also built in 1857, with the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company

Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company

opening a line from Geelong to Newport

Newport railway station, Melbourne

Newport is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Newport, at the junction of the Werribee and Williamstown railway lines...

. In 1859 the Williamstown railway line opened, connecting Williamstown

Williamstown railway station, Melbourne

Williamstown is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located in the suburb of Williamstown, and is the terminus of the Williamstown railway line...

and Geelong to Spencer Street Station

Southern Cross Station

Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...

.

More country lines followed in 1859 when Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

opened a line from the Williamstown line at Footscray, to Sunbury

Sunbury railway station, Melbourne

Sunbury is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the township of Sunbury, on the Melbourne - Bendigo railway. The station is staffed during daylight hours for most train services until approximately 8pm, and is in Metcard and myki Zone 2...

, taking over from the Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company

that was established in 1853 to build a railway to Echuca

Echuca, Victoria

Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...

, but failed to make any progress.

The first line to Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs was opened in 1859 by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station in Melbourne, Australia to Punt Road and South Yarra in 1859, Prahran in 1859 and Windsor in 1860, connecting with the St Kilda and Brighton...

, which ran from Princes Bridge railway station to Punt Road

Richmond railway station, Melbourne

Richmond is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Richmond. It is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

(Richmond), South Yarra, and Prahran. This line was extended to Windsor

Windsor railway station, Melbourne

Windsor is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It serves the Sandringham railway line and is located in the suburb of Windsor. The station is near the intersection of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.-Platforms and services:Platform...

in 1860, connecting with the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company line from St Kilda. The new line replaced the indirect St Kilda and Windsor line to the city, which was closed in 1867.

Another suburban line was built by the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company built a railway line from North Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia to Essendon in 1860. It subsequently built a branch line from Newmarket to Flemington Racecourse in 1861...

in 1860, with their line running from North Melbourne

North Melbourne railway station

North Melbourne is a railway station located on the northern edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The station is the point through which pass the west and north-west bound Craigieburn, Flemington Racecourse, Sydenham, Upfield, Werribee and Williamstown suburban railway...

to Essendon, with a branch line from Newmarket

Newmarket railway station, Melbourne

Newmarket is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Flemington, on the Craigieburn railway line. Newmarket is classed as a Host station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

to Flemington Racecourse opening in 1861. On the eastern side of town, the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

opened a branch line from Richmond to Burnley and Hawthorn

Hawthorn railway station, Melbourne

Hawthorn is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Lilydale, Belgrave, and Alamein lines, at Burwood and Evansdale Roads in the suburb of Hawthorn...

in 1861.

By this point, the railways of Melbourne was a disjointed group of city centric lines, with various companies operating from three separate city terminals - Princes Bridge, Flinders Street

Flinders Street Station

, and Spencer Street

Southern Cross Station

stations.

Some of the smaller companies were encountering financial problems. The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company

St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company

The St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia to Bay Street in 1859 and Beach in 1861....

and Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company

were absorbed by the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company

in 1865, forming the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company. The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company

was taken over by the Victorian Government in 1867. The Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company was not taken over by the Victorian Government until 1878.

The terminals themselves were linked in 1879, when track was built along the southern side of Flinders Street at street level to connect with Spencer Street Station

Southern Cross Station

, although this was only used for freight traffic at night. It was not until 1889 that the two track Flinders Street Viaduct

Flinders Street Viaduct

The Flinders Street Viaduct is a railway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. Made up of six tracks of varying ages, it links Flinders Street Station to Southern Cross Station and forms the main link between the eastern and western parts of the Victorian rail network.The viaduct takes a twisted path,...

was built between the two city terminus stations.

Outwards expansion also continued, with major trunk lines being opened into rural Victoria. Victorian Railways extended their line to Broadmeadows

Broadmeadows railway station, Melbourne

Broadmeadows is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, on the Craigieburn railway line. Broadmeadows is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...

in 1872 as part of the line to Seymour and Albury-Wodonga. In 1879 the Gippsland line was opened from South Yarra to Caulfield

Caulfield railway station, Melbourne

Caulfield is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Caulfield East, at the junction of the Frankston, Pakenham and Cranbourne railway lines. Classed as a Premium Station, it is in Metcard Zone 1...

, Pakenham and Bairnsdale

Bairnsdale, Victoria

Bairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....

Land boom lines

The 1870s and 1880s were a time of great growth and prosperity in Melbourne. Land speculation companies were formed, to buy up outer suburban land cheaply, and to agitate for suburban railways to be built or extended to serve these land holdings and increase land values. By 1880 the "Land Boom" was in full swing in Victoria, with the passing of the Railway Construction Act 1884

Railway Construction Act 1884

The Victorian Government's Act No. 821, Railway Construction Act 1884, authorised the construction of 59 new railway lines. Created by the Minister for Railways, Thomas Bent, and passed on 12 December 1884, it became notorious for the excessive number of inner-city railways it created, and received...

, later known as the Octopus Act for the 66 lines across the state that were authorised in it.

The Frankston line began with the opening of a line from Caulfield to Mordialloc in 1881, reaching the terminus in 1882. A second new suburban railway line was opened from Spencer Street Station to Coburg in 1884, and extended to Somerton

Somerton, Victoria

Somerton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume....

in 1889, meeting the main line from Spencer Street to Wodonga. Land developers opened a private railway from Newport to Altona in 1888, but it was closed in 1890, due to lack of demand.

The line from Hawthorn was extended, to Camberwell

Camberwell railway station, Melbourne

Camberwell is a railway station which serves the Belgrave, Lilydale and Alamein lines in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia...

in 1882, Lilydale in 1883, and Healesville in 1889. In addition, a branch line (now known as the Belgrave line) was opened from Ringwood

Ringwood railway station, Melbourne

Ringwood is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Ringwood, on the Lilydale and Belgrave railway lines. It is in Metcard Zone 2, is classed as a Premium Station, and is the junction for the Belgrave & Lilydale lines....

to Upper Ferntree Gully in 1889. A short branch two station was also opened from Hawthorn to Kew in 1887. The Brighton Beach line was also extended to Sandringham in 1887.

In 1888, railways came to the north eastern suburbs with the opening of the Inner Circle line from Spencer Street Station

Southern Cross Station

via Royal Park

Royal Park railway station, Melbourne

Royal Park is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Parkville, on the Upfield railway line. Royal Park is unmanned and in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

station to what is now Victoria Park

Victoria Park railway station, Melbourne

Victoria Park is a railway station on the Hurstbridge and Epping lines in Abbotsford, Melbourne, Australia. The station is elevated, is in Metcard Zone 1 and is unmanned....

station, and then on to Heidelberg. A branch was also opened off the Inner Circle in Fitzroy North

Fitzroy North, Victoria

Fitzroy North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Yarra and Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Fitzroy North had a population of 11,069....

, to Epping

Epping railway station, Melbourne

Epping is a railway station in Melbourne, Australia, located in the suburb of Epping, on the Epping railway line. Classed as a Premium Station, it is in Metcard Zone 2...

and Whittlesea in 1888 and 1889. Trains between Spencer Street and Heidelberg reversed at Victoria Park until a link was opened between Victoria Park and Princes Bridge in 1901.

The Outer Circle line opened in 1890, linking Oakleigh (on the Gippsland line) to Riversdale (with a branch to Camberwell on the Lilydale line) and Fairfield

Fairfield railway station, Melbourne

Fairfield is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Fairfield, on the Hurstbridge railway line. Fairfield is classed as a Host Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

(on the Heidelberg line). Originally envisaged to link the Gippsland line with Spencer Street Station

Southern Cross Station

in the 1870s, this reason disappeared with the building of a direct link via South Yarra before the line had even opened. The line saw little traffic as it traversed empty paddocks, and with no though traffic, the Outer Circle was closed in sections between 1893 and 1897. The Camberwell to Ashburton stretch of the Outer Circle re-opened in 1899, then in 1900, part of the northern section of the Outer Circle reopened as a shuttle service between East Camberwell and Deepdene station. This line closed in 1927.

At the same time as the Outer Circle, a railway was opened from Burnley to Darling and a junction with the Outer Circle at Waverley Road (near the modern East Malvern). A stub of the future Glen Waverley line, it was cut back to Darling in 1895.

The land boom railway building hit a peak with the construction of the Rosstown Railway between Elsternwick and Oakleigh. Built by William Murry Ross, the line was planned from the 1870s to serve a sugar beet mill near Caufield. Construction commenced in 1883, followed by rebuilding in 1888. Ross's debt grew, and he attempted to sell the line many times without success. The line never opened to traffic and was later dismantled.

The stock market crash of 1891 lead to an extended period of economic depression, and put an end to railway construction until the next decade.
By the 1900s, the driving force for new railway lines was the farmers in what is now Melbourne's outer suburbs. In the Dandenong Ranges

Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...

a narrow gauge 762 mm line

Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways

The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.- Background :A...

was opened from Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave and Gembrook in 1900 to serve the local farming and timber community. In the Yarra Valley

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the City of Melbourne and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay...

a branch was opened from Lilydale to Yarra Junction and Warburton in 1901.

On the other side of the valley, the Heidelberg line was extended to Eltham

Eltham railway station, Melbourne

Eltham is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Eltham, on the Hurstbridge railway line. Eltham is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2....

in 1902 and Hurstbridge in 1912. The freight only Mont Park line was also opened in 1911, branching from Macleod. Finally on the Mornington Peninsula

Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...

, a branch was built from Bittern to Red Hill in 1921.

Electrification

Planning for electrification was started by Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

chairman Thomas James Tait

Thomas James Tait

Sir Thomas James Tait was a Canadian-born rail executive.Born in Melbourne, Quebec, the son of Melbourne McTaggart Tait, Tait entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1880, and by 1903 he was manager of transportation with Canadian Pacific Railway company.In March 1903 Tait was appointed...

, who engaged English

United Kingdom

engineer Charles Hesterman Merz

Charles Hesterman Merz

Charles Hesterman Merz was a British electrical engineer who pioneered the use of high-voltage three-phase AC power distribution in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.-Life:Merz was then...

to deliver a report on the electrification of the Melbourne suburban network. His first report in 1908 recommended a three stage plan over 2 years, covering 200 route km. of existing lines and almost 500 suburban carriages (approximately 80 trains). The report was considered by the Government and the Railway Commissioners, and Merz was engaged to deliver a second report based on their feedback.

Delivered in 1912, this second report recommended an expanded system of electrification to 240 route km. of existing lines (463 track km.), and almost 800 suburban carriages (approximately 130 trains). The works were approved by the State Government in December 1912. It was envisaged that the first electric trains would be running by 1915, and the project was completed by 1917; World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

restrictions prevented electrical equipment being imported from the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

, so progress fell behind.

Rolling stock construction continued, with a number of older suburban carriages converted for electric use as the Swing Door

Swing Door (train)

Swing doors, more commonly known as "Dogboxes" or "Doggies" are a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

trains, while the first of the Tait

Tait (train)

The Tait trains, also referred to as the "Red Rattlers", were a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They were introduced in 1910 by the Victorian Railways as steam locomotive hauled cars, and converted to...

trains were introduced as steam hauled carriages. Track expansion was also carried out, with four tracks being provided between South Yarra and Caulfield, as well as grade separation from roads.

The first trials did not occur until October 1918 on the Flemington Racecourse line. Driver training continued on this line until the night of Sunday 18 May 1919, when the first electric train ran between Sandringham and Essendon, simulating revenue services. Electric services were inaugurated on 28 May 1919 with the first train running to Essendon, then to Sandringham. Full services started the next day.

The Burnley - Darling line, the Fawkner line, the re-opened branch to Altona, and the Williamstown line followed in 1920.

The line to Broadmeadows, the Whittlesea line to Reservoir, the Bendigo line to St Albans

St Albans railway station

St Albans railway station can refer to one of four stations:* Two railway stations in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom:**St Albans City railway station - Services operated by First Capital Connect...

, and the inner sections of the Hurstbridge line were electrified in 1921.

The Gippsland line to Dandenong and Frankston line were electrified in 1922, as was the inner sections of the Ringwood line due to regrading works.

1923 was the completion of the original electrification scheme, but over the next three years a number of short extensions were carried out. The Ashburton line was electrified in 1924, final works on the Lilydale line were completed in 1925, as was electrification on the line to Upper Ferntree Gully. Electrification on the outer ends of the Hurstbridge line were completed by 1926, the Whittlesea line to Thomastown

Thomastown railway station, Melbourne

Thomastown is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Thomastown, on the Epping railway line. Thomastown is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...

was electrified in 1929, and the Burnley - Darling line was extended to Glen Waverley in 1930 to become the Glen Waverley line.

Post war rebuilding

Railways experienced increased patronage into the 1940s, but railway improvements recommended in the Ashworth Improvement Plan

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, the Victorian Railways Chief Engineer for Way and Works...

were delayed until after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was not until 1950 that the Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

were able to put their Operation Phoenix

Operation Phoenix (railway)

Operation Phoenix was a post World War II rehabilitation program carried out by the Victorian Railways in Australia. The program commenced in 1950 and was originally planned to take 10 years and cost £80 million pounds...

rebuilding plan into action. The delivery of the Harris

Harris (train)

The Harris trains were the first steel-bodied Electric Multiple Unit train to operate on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They were introduced in 1956 by the Victorian Railways, and last operated in 1988, although a number of the carriages were converted for other...

trains, the first steel suburban trains on the network, enabled the retirement of the oldest of the Swing Door

Swing Door (train)

Swing doors, more commonly known as "Dogboxes" or "Doggies" are a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

trains.

Railway lines were extended during this period to encompass Melbourne's growing suburban footprint. The Ashburton line was extended along the old Outer Circle track formation to Alamein station in 1948. The Fawkner line to Upfield and the Reservoir line to Lalor were both electrified in 1959, the Epping line reaching its current terminus

Epping railway station, Melbourne

Epping is a railway station in Melbourne, Australia, located in the suburb of Epping, on the Epping railway line. Classed as a Premium Station, it is in Metcard Zone 2...

in 1964. A great deal of track amplification was also undertaken, with a number of single line sections eliminated.

The Upper Ferntree Gully to Belgrave section of the Gembrook narrow gauge line

Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways

was converted to broad gauge

Victorian broad gauge

Rail gauge in Australia displays significant variation, which has been an ongoing problem for transportation on the Australian continent, for over a hundred years.-Track gauges and route km:The most used gauges are Main gauges:...

and electrified in 1962. The remainder of the line was closed in 1954, but has been progressively reopened by the Puffing Billy Railway. The Pakenham line was electrified in 1954 as part of the works being carried out on the Gippsland line, but suburban services to Pakenham did not start until 1975.

During this rebuilding, a number of little used lines were closed on the edges of Melbourne. The Bittern to Red Hill line closed in 1953, the line between Epping and Whittlesea closed in 1959, and the Lilydale to Warburton line closed in 1964. The final stages of the rebuilding stretched into the 1970s, with track amplification carried out to Footscray, and Box Hill

Box Hill railway station, Melbourne

Box Hill railway station is on the Belgrave and Lilydale railway lines in Melbourne, Australia. It is located under Centro Box Hill shopping centre near the corner of Whitehorse Road and Station Street in Box Hill. A major bus interchange is part of the same complex, and the 109 tram route...

, and the first deliveries of the stainless steel Hitachi

Hitachi (train)

Hitachi is the name given for one of a set of electric multiple unit trains that operate on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Introduced to service in 1972, the trains are the oldest in the city's suburban fleet still in revenue service...

trains.
Detailed planning for the Doncaster line also commenced in this period, and by 1972 the route was decided upon. Despite rising costs, the state governments of the period continued to make assurances that the line would be built, but by 1984 land for the line had been sold.

Modernisation

By the late 1970s, the state of Melbourne's railway network was very run down. The last major investment on the suburban tracks had taken place fifty years earlier with the completion of Glen Waverley line in 1930 and extensions of all suburban services on existing non-electrified lines during the 1950s. Sixty year old Tait

Tait (train)

trains (known colloquially as "red rattlers") were still in operation, and inner city congestion at Flinders Street

Flinders Street Station

led to peak hour delays.

The Lonie Report

Lonie Report

The Lonie Report, officially titled Victorian Transport Study, was a thoroughgoing study of freight and passenger transport within the state of Victoria, in Australia...

, delivered in 1980, called for financial rationalisation and the closure of the Port Melbourne, St. Kilda, Altona, Williamstown, Alamein and Sandringham lines, and their replacement with buses. These recommendations and cuts were not enacted. However, many uneconomic branch lines were closed throughout the rest of the state. The line between Lilydale and Healesville was closed in 1980, now used by the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

Yarra Valley Tourist Railway

The Yarra Valley Railway is a tourist railway operating on a section of the former Healesville railway which operated between Lilydale and Healesville in the Yarra Valley area northeast of Melbourne, Australia.- History :...

. The branch from Baxter to Mornington was closed in 1981, but the line south of Moorooduc is now operated by the Mornington Railway

Mornington Railway

The Mornington Railway is a heritage railway near Mornington, a town on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, Victoria. The line is managed by the Mornington Railway Preservation Society and operates on part of the former Victorian Railways branch line which ran from Baxter to Mornington.-...

as a tourist route.

In the 1980s, the government authority overseeing Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

became VicRail and was restructured along corporate lines. The Metrol

Metrol, Melbourne rail network

Metrol is the central control centre of the Melbourne suburban rail network. It controls signalling, passenger information, and emergency procedures. It is situated in Transport House , in the CBD.-Operations:...

train control centre was opened in 1980 to coordinate trains throughout the network. Public transport in Melbourne was also reorganised, with the Metropolitan Transit Authority

Metropolitan Transit Authority (Victoria)

The Metropolitan Transit Authority was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body that operated suburban passenger trains,trams and buses in Victoria, Australia. It was set up under Section 15 of the Transport Act 1983 and commenced operation on 1 July 1983...

(MTA) formed in 1983 to coordinate all train, tram and bus services in the city. Between 1981 and 1985 the underground City Loop line was opened around central Melbourne

Melbourne

to improve the capacity of Flinders and Spencer Street stations to handle suburban trains and to offer a better choice of stations to users.

In 1983 the Werribee line was electrified, followed two years later by an extension of the Altona line to Laverton

Laverton railway station, Melbourne

Laverton is a railway station in Melbourne, Australia, located in the suburb of Laverton, on the Werribee railway line. Laverton is classed as a Premium station and is in Metcard Zones 1+2 overlap.Laverton is a terminus for some morning services to Werribee....

. The Port Melbourne and St Kilda lines were converted to standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

light rail in 1987, to accommodate tram routes 111 (now route 109

Melbourne tram route 109

Tram route 109 or simply The 109 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs between a terminus in Box Hill and a terminus near Station Pier in Port Melbourne...

) and 96

Melbourne tram route 96

Melbourne tram route 96 is a public transport tram and light rail route in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is one of Melbourne's busiest tram route carrying 39,700 passengers a day with a frequency of every 10 minutes or less during peak...

Privatisation

The early 1990s saw further changes, with the MTA reborn as the Public Transport Corporation

Public Transport Corporation

The Public Transport Corporation was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body formed under the Transport Act 1983 which operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services in Victoria, Australia....

, trading as "The Met".

State Governments of both sides of politics began to push for reform of the railway network, proposing conversion of the Upfield, Williamstown and Alamein lines to light rail. These proposals failed, with the Upfield line instead receiving a series of upgrades to replace labour intensive manual signalling systems. Federal government

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

funding was made available for the electrification of the Cranbourne line in 1995. Rationalisation of the Jolimont Railyards commenced, allowing the creation of Melbourne Park

Melbourne Park

Melbourne Park is a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Since 1988, Melbourne Park has been home of the Australian Open in tennis, which is played annually in January...

and the later Federation Square

Federation Square

Federation Square is a civic centre and cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

.

The Kennett

Jeff Kennett

Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

Government also initiated a number of reforms to the operation of the railway system, with guards being abolished from suburban trains and train drivers taking over the task of door operation. Stations were de-manned, and the Metcard

Metcard

"OneLink" redirects here. For the computer/cable company, see OneLink Communications.Metcard is the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It is a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of...

ticketing system was introduced to cut the need for staff even further.

The biggest change was privatisation. In 1997 'The Met' was split into two operating units - 'Hillside Trains' and 'Bayside Trains', each to be franchised to a different private operator. Ownership of land and infrastructure for rail and tram services was transferred to a new Victorian Government agency, VicTrack

VicTrack

VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....

. In addition, a statutory office was created in Government - the Director of Public Transport

Director of Public Transport

The Director of Public Transport is the Government agency responsible for promoting, providing, coordinating and regulating public transport in the State of Victoria, Australia...

- with specific responsibility for entering into franchise agreements with public transport operators for the operation of rail and tram services throughout Victoria. In 1999 the process was complete, with Connex Melbourne

Connex Melbourne

Connex Melbourne was a wholly owned subsidiary of French company Veolia Environnement, which had a franchise from the State Government of Victoria to operate all suburban passenger rail services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In August 2007, Connex's contract was extended to 30 November 2009....

and M>Train each operating half of the network. By 2004 the parent company of M>Train (National Express) withdrew from operating public transport in Victoria, and their half of the suburban network was passed to Connex as part of a renegotiated contract.

The franchising contracts contained provisions for the new operators to refurbish the Comeng trains, and to replace the older Hitachi

Hitachi (train)

trains - Connex chose the Alstom

Alstom

Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

X'Trapolis

X'Trapolis 100

The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.-First order:...

while M>Train chose Siemens

Siemens (train)

The Siemens Nexas comprises 72 triple car electrical multiple unit trains built by Siemens Mobility for the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia from 2002-2005. The design of the trains was based on the Siemens Modular Metro concept built in Austria...

. Since privatisation the Victorian Government has funded expansions to the suburban network - the electrification of the St. Albans line was extended to Watergardens (near the former Sydenham station) in 2002, and the Broadmeadows line was extended to Craigieburn in 2007.

In 2006, Professor Paul Mees and a group of academics estimated that privatisation had cost taxpayers $1.2 billion more than if the system had remained both publicly owned and operated. With the franchise extensions in 2009, taxpayers will pay an estimated $2.1 billion more by 2010. However the Institute of Public Affairs has released its own report into Melbourne's privatisation citing it as a modest success and pointing out that patronage had returned to Melbourne's railways (37.6% increase) after ballooning deficits and the use of old rolling stock had deterred patronage . The Auditor General of Victoria also performed a comprehensive audit report into the franchises and found that 'the franchises represent reasonable value for money.'

In November 2007, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

's SMRT

SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation is a public transport operator incorporated on March 6, 2000, as a result of an industry overhaul to form multi-modal public-transport operators in Singapore. It is the second-largest public-transport company in Singapore after ComfortDelGro...

Transit and Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

's MTR Corporation Limited expressed interest in taking control of Melbourne's suburban rail network from Connex in November 2009, when their contract was to be reviewed.

On 25 June 2009, Connex lost its bid to renew its contract with the Victorian Government. Hong Kong backed and owned MTR Corporation

MTR Corporation

MTR Corporation Limited is a company listed on the Hong Kong Exchange and included in the Hang Seng Index. MTR owns and runs the Hong Kong MTR metro system, and is also a major property developer and landlord in Hong Kong...

took over the Melbourne train network on 30 November 2009, operating as a locally themed consortium Metro Trains Melbourne

Metro Trains Melbourne

. MTR is a non-public railway owner and operator in Hong Kong where it is well known for constructing Transit Oriented Developments (TODS) around its stations.

Recent years

During 2005 to 2006 patronage of Melbourne's trains increased over 18 per cent. This increase was partly attributed to increased petrol prices prompting commuters to travel by train rather than by car. As early as 2003 there were union calls to restaff all stations by 2006, primarily for safety reasons. Then-Transport Minister Lynne Kosky

Lynne Kosky

Lynne Janice Kosky is a former Australian politician and senior minister in the Parliament of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party from 1996 to 2010...

said the Government's $10.5 billion 10-year major transport plan announced in May 2006 had significantly underestimated the usage of public transport.

In response to this the State Government undertook to purchase new trains and introduced a new ticketing option where commuters could pay a reduced fare if they completed their journey by 7 am.

In 2006, the Victorian Government announced plans to spend $2 billion on 'the biggest investment in the rail network since the construction of the City Loop 25 years earlier. The initiative is expected to substantially boost the carrying capacity of Melbourne’s rail network. It also contains plans for a third rail line

Dandenong railway line triplication

The Dandenong railway line triplication project is an initiative of the state government of Victoria, Australia, to add sections of a third railway line from Caulfield to Dandenong to expand the capacity of and relieve congestion on the Pakenham railway line, part of the Melbourne suburban rail...

between Caulfield

Caulfield, Victoria

Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...

and Dandenong which is designed to expand the capacity of, and relieve congestion on, the Pakenham line.

This was followed by an announcement of the introduction of more than 200 new weekly train services, set to tackle overcrowding on the city's busiest train lines, which had been attributed to a lack of trains and falling reliability. In a period of three years, from 2005–2008, rail patronage grew by 35 per cent.

Future expansion

In December 2008, the Brumby Government announced a $14.1 billion Victorian Transport Plan

Victorian Transport Plan

The Victorian Transport Plan is a now defunct transport planning framework for the state of Victoria, Australia announced on Monday 9 December 2008 by then Premier of Victoria, John Brumby...

to augment Melbourne’s rail network. The plan includes:

Regional Rail Link
Regional Rail Link
The Regional Rail Link is a 47.5 km railway track currently under construction through the western suburbs of Melbourne from Southern Cross Station, running through Sunshine, Tarneit and meeting the Geelong Line at West Werribee...

, a new railway line at a cost of more than $4 billion, providing new tracks to separate regional trains from Metro trains, which will deliver "extra capacity on the network"
A metro rail tunnel
Melbourne Metro
The Melbourne Metro is a planned metropolitan rail tunnel in Melbourne, Australia. The tunnels are proposed to travel from South Kensington railway station to Caulfield railway station...

, costing more than $4.5 billion, from Dynon to Domain, to "relieve overcrowding on the busy suburban lines from Melbourne’s west"
Rolling stock, $2.65 billion for up to 70 new trains, including 32 "new generation" trains which will carry 30 per cent more passengers
Rail extensions to Cranbourne East, South Morang and electrification to Sunbury and Melton, more than $2.4 billion
Improvements to train operations, at a cost of $200 million
Upgrades to metro stations, costing $50 million, and new stations in growth areas at a cost of $220 million
A Park & Ride expansion package costing $60 million.

On 1 May 2009 the State Government announced that they had committed $562.3 million in the 2009 State Budget for the extension of the Epping line 3.5 kilometres north to South Morang. Construction will start in 2010 and be completed by 2013.

Operations

Melbourne's suburban electrified railway system consists of 16 interdependent lines all feeding into Flinders Street station. Some of these lines share track with regional lines, and also carry diesel-hauled passenger and goods trains

Freight train

A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...

to locations beyond the suburban network. Melbourne railways are built to Irish broad gauge

Victorian broad gauge

. Interstate lines and the tram system

Trams in Melbourne

The Melbourne tramway network is a major form of public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria, Australia. , the network consisted of of track, 487 trams, 28 routes, and 1,773 tram stops. It was therefore the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the...

(including former railway lines converted to light rail) are standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

.

Power is supplied by catenary-style overhead wiring at 1500 volt

Volt

The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...

s DC

Direct current

Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...

.

Before 1999, the network was operated by the Victorian Government, under a number of names. Until the early 1980s it was known as Victorian Railways

Victorian Railways

. This was shortened to VicRail in the early 1980s and then later in the decade the metropolitan system became known as Metropolitan Transit. This was at the same time that regional services became known as V/Line. In the 1990s this was shortened to The Met. In preparation for privatisation the system was split into Bayside Trains and Hillside Trains.

Timeline of private operators

1999 - 2009 Connex (Operated the Clifton Hill and Burnley groups and the Showgrounds services only)
1999 - 2004 M>Train (National Express Group)(Operated the remaining groups)
2009 - current Metro Trains Melbourne (MTR Corporation Joint Venture)

Infrastructure

The Melbourne suburban rail network consists of 16 electrified

Railway electrification system

lines, the central City Loop subway, and 200 stations

Train station

, with a total length of 372 km of electrified lines. It operates on broad gauge

Irish gauge

Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....

track. The network is primarily at ground level, with a number of level crossings, and shared trackage with freight trains

Freight railways in Melbourne

The city of Melbourne, Australia has an extensive network of railway lines and yards to serve freight traffic. The lines are of two gauges - broad gauge and standard gauge, and are unelectrified...

and V/Line

V/Line

regional services. The suburban network uses power catenary-style overhead wiring at 1500 volt

Volt

s DC

Direct current

.

All but a handful of the lines include at least one single-track

Single track (rail)

A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....

section, and except for flyovers

Flying junction

A flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...

at North Melbourne

North Melbourne railway station

, Burnley, and Camberwell

Camberwell railway station, Melbourne

Camberwell is a railway station which serves the Belgrave, Lilydale and Alamein lines in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia...

, all junctions

Junction (rail)

A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...

are flat junctions

Level junction

In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction is a railway junction that has a track configuration in which merging or crossing railroad lines provide track connections with each other that require trains to cross over in front of opposing traffic at grade In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction...

. These restrictions hinder the performance of the system, as delays tend to "knock on" to other services. Two lines have three-track sections (the centre line being signalled for two-way operation and used for up trains in the morning peak period and down trains at other times). Where two or more lines come together in the inner area, there are four or more tracks.

Operationally, the 16 lines are divided into four groups of lines. The Clifton Hill Group comprises the two lines that branch at Clifton Hill station. The Burnley Group comprises the four lines that go through Burnley station. The Caulfield Group comprises the three lines that go through Caulfield station, plus the Sandringham line. The Northern Group comprises the remaining lines, which all go through North Melbourne

North Melbourne railway station

station.

The City Loop consists of four single-track underground

Subterranea (geography)

Subterranea refers to underground structures, both natural and man-made . Some subterranea include:* Bunker* Casemate* Catacombs* Caves** Ice caves* Cave dwellings, Cave house* Cave temple* Cellar* Cenote* Dungeon...

lines, one for each group, allowing trains arriving in the city from each group to circle the central business district then head out again to a destination on the same group. Trains generally operate within one of the four groups, although there is some interworking between the Burnley and Clifton Hill groups and between the Caulfield and Northern Groups.

Safeworking

Most lines in Melbourne operate under an automatic block system of safeworking with three-position power signalling. This permits signals

Railway signal

A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...

to operate automatically with the passage of trains, enforcing the distance between them. At junctions signals are manually controlled from signal box

Signal box

On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...

es, with interlocking

Interlocking

In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking plant...

s used to ensure conflicting paths are not set. The Flemington Racecourse line has two-position automatic signalling, a variant of the three-position system.

The outer end of the Hurstbridge line is operated with token based systems

Token (railway signalling)

In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...

and two-position manual signalling, where access to the line is based upon possession of a token.

Train stop

Train stop

Part of a railway signalling system, a train stop or trip stop is a train protection device that automatically stops a train if it attempts to pass a signal when the signal aspect and operating rules prohibit such movement, or if it attempts to pass at an excessive speed.- Basic operation :The...

s are used to enforce stop indications on signals - should a train pass a signal, the train's brakes will automatically be applied. Trains are also fitted with pilot valve

Pilot valve

A pilot valve is a small valve that controls a limited-flow control feed to a separate piloted valve. Typically, this valve controls a high pressure or high flow feed...

s, a form of dead man's switch

Dead man's switch

A dead man's switch is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness....

that applies the brakes should the driver fail to maintain a foot or hand pilot valve in a set position. The "VICERS" vigilance control

Dead-man's vigilance device

A dead-man's vigilance device is a railroad safety device that operates in the case of incapacitation of the engineer. It is a hybrid between a dead-man's switch and a vigilance control....

and event recorder

Event recorder

A Train event recorder is similar to the flight data recorder found on aircraft. It records data about the operation of train controls and performance in response to those controls and other train control systems.Data storage is provided by magnetic tape, battery-backed RAM and, most recently,...

system is also being currently fitted to suburban trains to provide an additional level of safety.

Train control

The main control room for the rail network is Metrol

Metrol, Melbourne rail network

. Located in the Melbourne CBD, it controls signals

Railway signalling

Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...

in the inner suburbs, tracking the location of all trains, as well as the handling the distribution of real time passenger information, and manages disruptions to the timetable. Additional signal boxes are located throughout the network, and in direct communication with Metrol.

Fleet

All trains on the Melbourne suburban network are electric and are driver-only operated. Guards on suburban trains were discontinued between 1993 and 1995.

All trains are fitted with power-operated sliding doors which are closed by the driver, but opened by passengers. The doors of newer model X'Trapolis 100

X'Trapolis 100

The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.-First order:...

and Siemens trains are opened by a button, but the Hitachi and Comeng trains are opened using handles. Stiff doors, sometimes found on the older Hitachi models, are often difficult to open by hand for some.

Trains also have inter-car doors to enable passengers to change carriages while in transit. All trains except the older Hitachi trains are fitted with air conditioning, closed-circuit cameras, and emergency intercom systems. Trains are fixed into three car units, and may operate alone or in pairs.

There are four types of trains in operation, each type being unable to operate coupled to another train type. The rolling stock

Railroad car

A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...

currently consists of (numbers are number of 3-carriage units):

14 Hitachi
Hitachi (train)
Hitachi is the name given for one of a set of electric multiple unit trains that operate on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Introduced to service in 1972, the trains are the oldest in the city's suburban fleet still in revenue service...

Electric Multiple Units (EMU)
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

, built by Martin & King
Martin & King
Martin & King was a manufacturing company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company specialised in car and railway coachwork.-History:...

using Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...

-designed electrical components during the 1970s. The Hitachi fleet was to be replaced by the X'trapolis and Siemens trains, but 12 (plus and additional two on long term hire from preservation group Elecrail) have been kept to cater for a growth in traffic. The Hitachi sets are all coupled semi-permanently in 6-car configuration, so effectively there are only seven sets.
187 Comeng EMUs, built by Commonwealth Engineering
Commonwealth Engineering
The Commonwealth Engineering Company Limited is the brand name of a former Australian Engineering Company that designed Locomotives, Electrical Multiple Units , Diesel Multiple Units and Trams.-History:...

from 1981–1989, refurbished by EDi Rail
Downer EDi
Downer EDI is an Australian Stock Exchange Top-100 company that provides comprehensive engineering and infrastructure management services to the public and private transport, energy, infrastructure, communications and resources sectors, across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific...

and Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

for M>Train and Connex
Connex Melbourne
Connex Melbourne was a wholly owned subsidiary of French company Veolia Environnement, which had a franchise from the State Government of Victoria to operate all suburban passenger rail services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In August 2007, Connex's contract was extended to 30 November 2009....

respectively from 2000-2003.
95 X'Trapolis
X'Trapolis 100
The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.-First order:...

EMUs, built by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

from 2002–2004, 2009-current.
72 Siemens
Siemens (train)
The Siemens Nexas comprises 72 triple car electrical multiple unit trains built by Siemens Mobility for the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia from 2002-2005. The design of the trains was based on the Siemens Modular Metro concept built in Austria...

EMUs, built by Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....

from 2003-2006.

The Hitachi trains, the oldest in the fleet, and the Comeng trains can operate throughout the network, but the X'Trapolis

X'Trapolis 100

The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.-First order:...

trains can only operate on the Burnley and Clifton Hill Groups of lines, and the Siemens

Siemens (train)

trains can only operate on the Caulfield and Northern Groups of lines. Although both the Siemens and X'Trapolis have been known to run without passengers on the lines they are not usually permitted on in order to access workshops, or for testing purposes.

Classification and configuration

Since shortly after the introduction of suburban electric trains in Melbourne, their carriages have been classified as follows. All fleet types have used these classifications, with different fleet types using different number ranges for the carriages.

M indicates a motorised carriage, with a driving compartment.
T indicates a trailer carriage.
D indicated a trailer carriage with a driving compartment. Only Swing-door, Tait, and Hitachi trains had these.
G indicated a trailer carriage fitted with both gas and electric lighting, for use on country services. Only Tait trains had these.
BT indicated a second class trailer carriage. Prior to the abolition of first class suburban travel in 1958, motorised carriage were generally second class and trailer carriages were generally first class.

An exception to the above classifications was the trial double-deck

4D (train)

The 4D was a prototype double deck electric multiple unit train built for the Public Transport Corporation of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. It remains the only double deck train ever to have run in Melbourne.-Design:Built by A Goninan & Co...

train, which used T to indicate a trailer carriage with a driving compartment, and M to indicate a motorised carriage without a driving compartment.

Currently, all trains are assembled into a symmetrical M-T-M arrangement. Trains comprise either one or two such units. All peak period services and some off-peak services comprise two units. The few remaining Hitachi

Hitachi (train)

trains operate in fixed two-unit sets.

Service patterns

Melbourne uses "clock-face" timetables in off-peak periods, but generally not in peak periods, due to operating near to the capacity of the infrastructure and having to accommodate single-line sections, flat junctions, and regional diesel-hauled trains. Even in off-peak periods, however, frequencies vary according to time of day and day of week, and by line. In some places, services on two lines combine to provide more frequent services on common sections of tracks. Saturday and Sunday services are identical during the day, but differ during the evening on some lines. Sunday morning services however start later than on Saturdays, and run less frequently until around 10am.

Melbourne, along with other Australian railways, uses the British terminology of "up" and "down", with "up" being defined as toward Flinders Street Station.

Burnley Group

All trains run via the City Loop (in one direction depending on time of day and day of week), with the exception of Alamein and Blackburn services. With minor exceptions, Lilydale and Belgrave trains do not stop at East Richmond station, which is served by Glen Waverley trains.

During peak hours express trains operate from the outer ends of the Lilydale and Belgrave lines in the direction of peak travel, utilising the third track from Box Hill and the City Loop. Alamein trains run via the City Loop, although they formerly ran direct to Flinders Street; stopping all stations trains from the intermediate terminus of Blackburn also run direct to Flinders St.

All off-peak trains run via the City Loop in one direction, with the exception of Alamein services which are shuttles to and from the junction at Camberwell.

Caulfield Group

All trains on the Pakenham, Cranbourne, and Frankston lines operate via the City Loop (in one direction depending on time of day and day of week), with the exception of a small number of peak hour services. Sandringham trains also operate via the underground loop on weekends, but not weekdays.

The Frankston line has a number of peak hour express services in the direction of peak travel, utilising the third track from Moorabbin. The Pakenham and Cranbourne lines have a smaller number of peak expresses, and all Sandringham trains stop at all stations.

Clifton Hill Group

From 9 November 2008, all trains (with the exception of those departing the city after midnight, all services after midnight run direct from Flinders Street) operate via the City Loop (in a clockwise direction from Jolimont station on weekdays and anti-clockwise on weekends and public holidays). On most occasions, Hurstbridge line trains operate express between Jolimont and Clifton Hill, with the Epping trains serving the intermediate stations.

Northern Group

All trains operate via the City Loop (in one direction depending on the time of day and day of week), except for the Williamstown services. All off-peak Williamstown services are shuttles to and from the junction at Newport, while in peak they run direct from Flinders Street. Since 9 November 2008, Werribee trains do not run through the Loop during morning and afternoon peaks.

Greater metropolitan lines

Stony Point line services operate as shuttles from Frankston station with advertised connections between trains. Melton (Ballarat line) and Sunbury (Bendigo line) services are operated by V/Line

V/Line

and depart from Southern Cross Station

Southern Cross Station

, but metropolitan tickets can be used.

Special services

There are no regularly scheduled services on the Flemington Racecourse line, but services are run to the Racecourse whenever race meetings are held at the racecourse. Services are also operated to the Showgrounds

Showgrounds railway station, Melbourne

Showgrounds is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Flemington Racecourse railway line in the suburb of Flemington, adjacent to the Melbourne Showgrounds....

platform during the Royal Melbourne Show

Royal Melbourne Show

The Royal Melbourne Show is an agricultural show held at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds every September. The Royal Show began in 1848. The focus of the show is the display of rural industry, including livestock and produce. There are associated competitions and awards...

every September.

Fares and tickets

Melbourne's railway network is part of the integrated fare and ticketing system, known as Metcard, which covers all public transport services in Melbourne.

Fares are charged on the basis of zones and are time-based. There are two concentric zones (which was reduced from three on 4 March 2007), with fares applicable to one or two zones. Tickets are valid for two hours, all day and for longer periods, such as weekly and monthly. Within the time periods, tickets can be used on an unlimited number of services and all modes (train, tram, and bus). There is no extra fee for transfers. Various discounts are also available, such as for off-peak travel and buying tickets in bulk.

Tickets are credit-card in size with a magnetic stripe, and must be inserted in a validator before each use. Only the busier stations have ticket-operated barrier gates. At other stations, enforcement is based on honesty with random checks. Tickets are available from machines at all stations and on trams, from station ticket offices at manned stations, from bus drivers, from various retail outlets such as newsagents and convenience stores, and via the Internet. As the tickets have to be validated before use (except when bought on trams, which are sold pre-validated), they may be bought in advance and used when required.

The Metcard ticket system was due to be replaced in 2008 with a new system of smartcard

Smart card

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...

s, known as Myki

Myki

myki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...

. the Myki system is being gradually implemented, and is in use on Melbourne's train network. In July 2010, the use of Myki was extended to Melbourne Metropolitan Trams and Buses.

Passenger information

Timetable information is available to passengers at stations through the PRIDE II system, which is an electronic

Electronics

Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

timetable

Public transport timetable

and announcement system, and stands for Passenger Real-time Information Dissemination Equipment. The system consists of:

The control system, situated at Metrol
Metrol, Melbourne rail network
Metrol is the central control centre of the Melbourne suburban rail network. It controls signalling, passenger information, and emergency procedures. It is situated in Transport House , in the CBD.-Operations:...

.
Control stations, at which staff update information, and announcements and CCTV recordings are dealt with for nearby stations.
Public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...

systems at each station on the network. The PRIDE system automatically announces when a train is due soon, delayed, or cancelled; this is done via the rail telephone network.
PRIDE "talking boxes" installed on each platform of all stations.
Electronic information displays.

Control data comes from two locations: Metrol, and control stations. Next train data and times are automatically updated by the train control systems, with manual overrides also possible.

All stations are provided with "talking boxes" which have two buttons and a small speaker

Loudspeaker

A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...

.
The green button, when pressed, contacts the PRIDE controller over the rail telephone network, identifying itself by the DTMF

Dual-tone multi-frequency

Dual-tone multi-frequency signaling is used for telecommunication signaling over analog telephone lines in the voice-frequency band between telephone handsets and other communications devices and the switching center. The version of DTMF that is used in push-button telephones for tone dialing is...

tones that correspond to the ID number assigned to the box. The system then reads out times and destinations for the next two services to depart that platform (or, in the case of stations with a single island platform with departures either side, both platforms). The red button when pressed, gives the user two way communication with the closest control station.

Busy stations are often provided with an electronic LED

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...

s, which indicate the destination, time, stopping pattern summary, and minutes to departure for the next train on the platform.

Finally stations on the City Loop, in addition to North Melbourne

North Melbourne railway station

, Richmond

Richmond railway station, Melbourne

Richmond is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Richmond. It is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

, and Box Hill

Box Hill railway station, Melbourne

stations, have CRT

Cathode ray tube

The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...

screen s, although some of these have recently been replaced by widescreen

Widescreen

Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....

LCD

Liquid crystal display

A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....

screens. These displays show in detail the destination, scheduled and actual departure time, and all stations the next train stops at. Also shown is the destination and time of the following train, and the system is capable of providing suggested connections and warn of service interruptions.

On Sunday, 26 September 2010, the PRIDE system was upgraded with new voice announcements. The voice is now female, and now advises to touch on and off when using Myki.

Regional passenger services

V/Line

regional services share tracks with suburban trains from the outskirts of Melbourne to the central regional railway service terminus at Southern Cross Station

Southern Cross Station

. The Pakenham line has the longest shared line section, used by V/Line services to the Latrobe Valley

Latrobe Valley

The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...

. The Werribee, Sydenham and Craigieburn lines also share tracks. The Regional Rail Link

Regional Rail Link

The Regional Rail Link is a 47.5 km railway track currently under construction through the western suburbs of Melbourne from Southern Cross Station, running through Sunshine, Tarneit and meeting the Geelong Line at West Werribee...

project is intended to separate suburban services from all regional trains except those to the North-East and then Latrobe Valley, a ceremonial start of construction held in August 2009.

Freight services

Melbourne also has an extensive network of railway lines and yards to serve freight traffic. The lines are of two gauges - broad gauge

Victorian broad gauge

and standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

, and are not electrified. In the inner western suburbs of the city, freight trains operate on dedicated lines, but in other areas freight trains share tracks with the suburban Metro Trains Melbourne

Metro Trains Melbourne

and regional V/Line

V/Line

passenger services. The majority of freight terminals are located in the inner suburbs around Port of Melbourne

Port of Melbourne

The Port of Melbourne is Australia's busiest port for containerised and general cargo. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself...

, others are located between the Melbourne CBD and Footscray.

Until the 1980s a number of suburban stations had their own goods yards

Rail yard

A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....

, with freight trains running over the suburban network, often with the E

Victorian Railways E class (electric)

The Victorian Railways E class was a class of electric locomotive that ran on the Victorian Railways from 1923 until 1984. Introduced shortly after the electrification of the suburban rail system in Melbourne, Australia, and based on the same electrical and traction equipment as Melbourne's early...

or L class

Victorian Railways L class (electric)

The Victorian Railways L class was a class of mainline electric locomotive that ran on the Victorian Railways and its successor V/Line from 1953 until 1987...

electric locomotive

Electric locomotive

An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...

Key statutes

The prime rail statute in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

is the Transport Integration Act

Transport Integration Act

The Transport Integration Act 2010 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 former Transport Act 1983....

. The Act establishes the Department of Transport

Department of Transport (Victoria, Australia)

The Department of Transport or DOT is the central Government agency responsible for the coordination, integration and regulation of the transport system in the State of Victoria, Australia...

as the integration agency for Victoria's transport system. The Act also establishes and sets the charters of the state agencies charged with providing public transport rail services and managing network access for freight services, namely the Director of Public Transport

Director of Public Transport

The Director of Public Transport is the Government agency responsible for promoting, providing, coordinating and regulating public transport in the State of Victoria, Australia...

and V/Line

V/Line

. In addition, the Act creates VicTrack

VicTrack

VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....

which owns the public rail network and associated infrastructure. Another important statute is the Rail Management Act 1996 which confers powers on rail operators and provides for a rail access scheme for the state's rail network.

Regulation

The safety of rail operations in Melbourne

Melbourne

is regulated by the Rail Safety Act 2006

Rail Safety Act

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

which applies to all commercial passenger and freight operations as well as tourist and heritage railways. The Act creates a framework containing safety duties for all rail industry participants and requires rail operators who manage infrastructure and rolling stock to obtain accreditation prior to commencing operations. Accredited rail operators are also required to have a safety management system

Safety Management Systems

Safety Management System is a term used to refer to a comprehensive business management system designed to manage occupational safety and health elements in the workplace.-Description of SMS:...

to guide their operations.

Sanctions

Sanctions (law)

Sanctions are penalties or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. Criminal sanctions can take the form of serious punishment, such as corporal or capital punishment, incarceration, or severe fines...

applying to the safety scheme established under the Rail Safety Act

Rail Safety Act

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

are contained in the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983. The safety regulator for the rail system in Melbourne

Melbourne

is the Director, Transport Safety

Director, Transport Safety

The Director, Transport Safety is the independent Government agency responsible for rail, bus and marine safety in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the Transport Integration Act 2010...

(trading as Transport Safety Victoria

Director, Transport Safety

) whose office is established under the Transport Integration Act 2010

Transport Integration Act

Investigation

Rail operators in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

can also be the subject of no blame investigations conducted by the Chief Investigator, Transport Safety

Chief Investigator, Transport Safety

The Chief Investigator, Transport Safety 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, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the Transport...

or the Australian Transport Safety Bureau

Australian Transport Safety Bureau

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau 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 air, sea and rail travel. The Australian Transport Safety...

(ATSB). The Chief Investigator is charged by the Transport Integration Act

Transport Integration Act

with conducting investigations into rail safety matters including incidents and trends. ATSB, on the other hand, has jusridiction over the same matters where they occur on the Defined Interstate Rail Network.

Ticketing and conduct

Ticketing requirements for public transport in Melbourne

Melbourne

are mainly contained in the Transport (Ticketing) Regulations 2006 and the Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual. Rules about safe and fair conduct on trains and trams in Melbourne

Melbourne

are generally contained in the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983

Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983

The 'Transport Act 1983' is a prime statute regulating transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia...

and the Transport (Conduct) Regulations 2005. If Metro does not reach its Punctuality and Delivery goals they will give out compensation to eligible customers.

Tourist and heritage railways

Tourist and Heritage Railways in Melbourne

Melbourne

and Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

are currently governed by provisions in the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983. In future, they will be regulated by the recently enacted Tourist and Heritage Railways Act 2010

Tourist and Heritage Railways Act

The Tourist and Heritage Railways Act 2010 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the activities of tourist and heritage rail operators in the State...

which is yet to commence.

External links

Metlink - official website of Melbourne's public transport
Official map of Melbourne's modern railway network
Vicsig - Victorian railways enthusiast website
Railpage Australia - enthusiast website
V/LineCars.com - Comprehensive V/Line carriage information & enthusiast website
Dallas Delta Corporation – producer of the PRIDE "talking boxes".
Transport Integration Act overview (official site)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

The first train

Early privateers

Land boom lines

Electrification

Post war rebuilding

Modernisation

Privatisation

Recent years

Future expansion

Operations

Infrastructure

Safeworking

Train control

Fleet

Classification and configuration

Service patterns

Burnley Group

Caulfield Group

Clifton Hill Group

Northern Group

Greater metropolitan lines

Special services

Fares and tickets

Passenger information

Regional passenger services

Freight services

Key statutes

Regulation

Investigation

Ticketing and conduct

Tourist and heritage railways

See also

Further reading and reviews

External links