Metro Trains Melbourne facts for kids

Metro Trains Melbourne, often called Metro, runs the electric train services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest city train network in Australia. The network has 17 lines and 222 stations, covering 405 kilometers of tracks. It is also the second busiest network in Australia, with 182.5 million passenger trips in 2023–2024.

The train network is owned by Public Transport Victoria. Metro Trains Melbourne is a partnership between MTR Corporation (from Hong Kong), John Holland Group, and UGL Rail. These companies also work together to run the Sydney Metro network. Metro Trains Melbourne started operating in 2009, taking over from the previous company, Connex Melbourne.

Metro Trains Melbourne uses 220 six-car trains on 965 kilometers of track. They operate sixteen regular train lines and one special line for events. Metro Trains Melbourne also manages 219 railway stations. They have about 3,500 employees, including train drivers, engineers, and station staff.

The railway tracks, equipment, and trains belong to VicTrack, which is part of the State Government. VicTrack leases them to Public Transport Victoria, which then leases them to Metro Trains Melbourne. The name 'Metro' is also owned by the State Government. Metro Trains has faced challenges in the past. However, train operations, on-time performance, and overall service have greatly improved since 2014. This is thanks to projects like removing level crossings and running more frequent trains.

How Metro Trains Started

The Government of Victoria chose Metro Trains Melbourne as the new train operator in June 2009. They officially took over from Connex Melbourne on November 30, 2009. Metro Trains was given an eight-year contract, with a chance to extend it for another seven years. In April 2012, Public Transport Victoria started managing this contract.

In May 2012, a union said Metro Trains was not always checking safety equipment properly. Metro Trains stated that safety checks are done regularly. In 2013, it was reported that many passengers did not get refunds when trains were late. This was because they did not know they could get money back or found the process too difficult.

On July 13, 2017, Metro had a computer problem that caused many trains to be cancelled or delayed. Metro had to pay money and give refunds to affected customers. The Metro Trains chief said the main train control system failed, so they had to shut it down for safety.

In September 2017, the government extended Metro Trains' contract until November 2024. It was later extended again until May 2026.

Train Types and Fleet

The Victorian Government owns most of the trains through VicTrack. Metro Trains Melbourne is in charge of keeping the trains in good working order. All trains on Melbourne's suburban network are electric, except for the Stony Point Line. Drivers operate all trains. They have power-operated sliding doors that the driver closes, but passengers open.

Newer trains like the X'Trapolis, Siemens, and HCMT have doors that open with a button. The older Comeng trains have doors that passengers slide open by hand. All trains have air conditioning, security cameras, and emergency intercoms. Trains are usually made of three-car units and can run as one or two units together.

As part of a 2008 transport plan, 38 new six-car X'Trapolis trains were ordered. The first of these trains arrived in August 2009. These trains were put together in Australia. More X'Trapolis trains were ordered, bringing the total to 106 six-car sets by 2020.

In September 2016, a group called Evolution Rail was chosen to build 65 new High Capacity Metro Trains. These trains started to be delivered from 2019.

In May 2021, the Victorian Government confirmed an order for 25 X'Trapolis 2.0 trains. These trains started service between 2024 and 2026. They are replacing the 40-year-old Comeng trains. Since 2022, the oldest Comeng trains have been taken out of service. The Pakenham and Cranbourne lines have been fully using HCMT trains since the end of 2022. The Sunbury line will follow in 2026. With the new X'Trapolis 2.0s, all Comeng trains will be retired.

Passenger Trains in Use

Type	Image	Train Type	Top Speed (km/h)	Built	Number	Notes
Comeng		EMU	115	1981–1988	190 3-car sets	Updated between 2000–2003 and again 2017–2020. Retirement started in 2017. All original horns were replaced by March 2024.
X'Trapolis 100			143	2002–2005, 2009–2019	212 3-car sets
Siemens Nexas			145	2002–2006	72 3-car sets
HCMT			130	2019–	70 7-car trains	Used on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines. The first train started service in December 2020.
Sprinter		DMU	130	1993–1995	2	Rented from V/Line for the Stony Point line.

Future Trains

Maintenance Trains

Type	Image	Train Type	Top Speed (km/h)	Built	Number	Notes
Diesel electric locomotives		P and T classes	80	1964		Rented from Southern Shorthaul Railroad for maintenance work.
IEV100		Track evaluation vehicle	80 when recording 100 when not recording		1	Checks the condition of the tracks.
IEV102		Overhead inspection carriage	115	1958	1	Checks the overhead power lines.
EV120		Infrastructure evaluation carriage	120	2021	1	Built in 2021 to replace IEV100 and IEV102.
ECOM (Evaluation Comeng)		Modified Comeng sets for use hauling Evie	115	1985 & 1987	2	Converted from passenger trains in May 2025 to help with evaluations.

Former Trains

Type	Image	Train Type	Top Speed (km/h)	Built	Number	Notes
Hitachi		EMU	115	1972–1981	14 3-car sets	Last used in 2014. Most are planned to be scrapped.
B class		Diesel electric locomotive		1953	2	Used for maintenance trains.

Train Car Classifications

Train carriages in Melbourne have special letters to show what they are:

• M means a motor carriage with a driving area.
• T means a trailer carriage (no motor).
• D meant a trailer carriage with a driving area. (Used on older trains like Swing-door, Tait, and Hitachi trains).
• G meant a trailer carriage with both electric and gas lights. (Only on Tait trains).
• BT meant a second-class trailer carriage. (Used on Swing-door and Harris trains).

Today, most trains (except HCMT) are set up as M-T-M (Motor-Trailer-Motor). Trains can be one or two of these units. During busy times, most services use two units.

Train Services and Lines

Schematic map of the Melbourne metropolitan train network showing current lines and under-construction projects, including the Metro Tunnel, Melbourne Airport Rail and Suburban Rail Loop East.

Melbourne's trains often follow a "clock-face" timetable during quieter times. This means trains run at regular intervals (e.g., every 10 or 20 minutes). However, during busy times, the schedule changes because the network is very busy. Train frequency also changes depending on the time of day and day of the week. Sometimes, two lines share tracks to offer more frequent services in those areas.

Metro Trains Melbourne runs several passenger train lines and one special event line. These are grouped into five main operating groups.

Burnley Group

•  Belgrave ,  Lilydale ,  Alamein  &  Glen Waverley  lines

Belgrave and Lilydale trains use the City Loop. They run one way in weekday mornings and the other way in weekday afternoons and weekends. Many trains run express during busy times. This means they skip some stations to go faster. They use a special triple track from Box Hill to Burnley to let express trains pass local ones.

Glen Waverley trains go directly to and from Flinders Street on weekday mornings. In weekday afternoons and on weekends, they use the City Loop.

Alamein trains use the City Loop during weekday morning and afternoon busy times, and on weekends. During quieter weekday times, they run as short 3-carriage trains to and from Camberwell.

Caulfield Group

•  Cranbourne  &  Pakenham  lines

All trains on these lines use the City Loop, running in one direction from Richmond Station.

At night, the Cranbourne line runs as a shuttle service between Dandenong and Cranbourne.

Since 2025, these lines operate through the new Metro Tunnel to Sunbury.

Clifton Hill Group

•  Mernda  &  Hurstbridge  lines

All trains on these lines use the City Loop, except for very late-night services. During busy hours, Hurstbridge line trains often run express between Jolimont and Clifton Hill. The Mernda trains stop at the stations in between.

Northern Group

•  Sunbury ,  Craigieburn  &  Upfield  lines

The Northern group trains use the City Loop at all times, except during the Night Network (Saturday & Sundays Midnight - 5 AM).

When they use the City Loop, they run in one direction during weekday mornings and all day on weekends. They run in the other direction after 12:30 PM on weekdays.

Since 2025, the Sunbury line operates through the new Metro Tunnel to Cranbourne and East Pakenham.

Cross-City Group

•  Frankston ,  Werribee  &  Williamstown  lines

This group was formed in 2011. Since 2021, all services on these lines run directly to and from Flinders Street. Most services continue through to the other side of the city.

Werribee services stop at all stations via Altona only on weekends. On weekdays, they run express between Footscray, Newport, and Laverton. They stop at all stations between Laverton and Werribee. Weekday services that stop at all stations via Altona end at Laverton.

Since 2025, the Frankston line returned to the City Loop. The Werribee and Williamstown lines now run through with the Sandringham line.

•  Stony Point line  (non-electric shuttle beyond Frankston)

Stony Point line trains run as shuttles from Frankston station. Passengers traveling to or from Flinders Street need to change trains at Frankston. This is because the line is not electric beyond Frankston. These services use Sprinter diesel trains rented from V/Line.

•  Sandringham line 

The Sandringham line is part of the Cross City group, but it usually operates on its own.

All trains run directly to and from Flinders Street. They stopped using the City Loop in 2021.

Since 2025, the Sandringham line runs through with the Werribee and Williamstown lines.

Special Services

•  Flemington Racecourse line  (special event service)

There are no regular trains on the Flemington Racecourse line. Trains only run to the Racecourse when there are horse races. Services also run to the Showgrounds platform during the Royal Melbourne Show in September. They are also used for large events like university exams. Sometimes, Flemington Line services are used if the Craigieburn Line is closed.

Stations

Bentleigh railway station in December 2018

Metro Trains Melbourne manages the daily operations of 219 stations. These include:

• Terminus stations: Where lines end.
• Premium stations: These stations have staff from the first train to the last train. They are also staffed all night during the Night Network, except for underground city loop stations and Southern Cross stations. Staff at these stations help passengers and provide information.
• Host stations: These stations usually have staff during the morning busy period, from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Some are staffed longer, from 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM.

Tickets

Ticket gates at Mernda railway station

Metro Trains Melbourne only uses the myki ticketing system. Myki tickets work for a certain amount of time or for a year. They cover two zones in the Melbourne area.

The old Metcard ticketing system was stopped on December 28, 2012.

Checking Tickets

Like other public transport in Victoria, Metro Trains Melbourne has Authorised Officers. These officers, often called "ticket inspectors," check tickets and make sure people follow the rules. Their main jobs are to report ticket or behavior problems to the Department of Transport. They also help customers and give information during special events.

Authorised Officers can ask for your name and address if they think you have broken a rule. They can also ask for proof of your information. If someone refuses to give their details or gives false information, the officers will contact Victoria Police.

The Department of Transport processes reports from Authorised Officers and decides on any penalties. Any money paid for fines goes to the Department, not to Metro Trains Melbourne.

On-Time Performance

High Capacity Metro Train approaches Carnegie Station, South East of Melbourne

Metro Trains faced challenges meeting its on-time targets in its first nine months of operation. Almost one in four trains were late.

However, Metro's performance improved in 2011. They met their targets for six months in a row. Since April 2012, trains have been consistently on time.

Metro has been criticized for meeting its targets by skipping stations, especially in the City Loop. In April 2012, Metro Trains admitted to changing train stops to make up for lost time. This was to meet the performance goals set by the government. A document showed that the government was concerned some station skipping might not have been necessary. In June 2012, Metro had to pay money for not meeting service performance, including skipping stations.

The 2017 contract renewal for Metro Trains had stricter rules for being on time. It included bigger payments for missing targets and penalties for skipping stations or the City Loop. The operator had to make sure 92% of trains ran on time, up from 88% in the old contract. However, a train was still considered on time if it was less than five minutes late. In the first month of the new contract, Metro Trains did not meet the target. A 2021 report found that cancellations had not significantly decreased in the first three years.

Metro met its 92% on-time target for two years. In July 2022, they missed the target by a small amount. This meant they had to offer a day of free travel to some passengers. Large projects, like removing level crossings and upgrading signals, have helped improve the network's reliability and on-time performance.

Publicity

Dumb Ways to Die

In November 2012, Metro launched a safety campaign called Dumb Ways to Die. It became very popular online through videos and social media. They also made posters, stickers, and badges.

In May 2013, Metro released a "Dumb Ways to Die" game as an app for phones and tablets. In the game, players try to avoid dangerous activities shown by the characters. Players can also promise to "not do dumb stuff around trains" within the app. In November 2014, Metro released a sequel, "Dumb Ways to Die 2: the Games." This game had a similar idea but was styled like different sports events. In 2021, another company bought the rights to the "Dumb Ways to Die" series.

See also

In Spanish: Metro Trains Melbourne para niños