Overview
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, runs one of the most extensive public transport systems in Australia, built around the world's largest tram network alongside suburban trains and buses. According to the 2016 Australian census, Melbourne has the second-highest rate of public transport use among Australian capital cities for travel to work, at 19 percent, and in 2017–2018 the metropolitan network carried 565 million passenger trips.
For a visitor, the system is straightforward once you understand the rhythm. Transport Victoria coordinates all train, tram and bus services in the state, and its website and app provide a journey planner, timetables, maps and disruption information; Apple Maps and Google Maps also offer journey planning and disruption alerts. Services generally run between 5AM and midnight Monday to Saturday, and after 8AM on Sunday, with a Night Network operating after midnight on Friday and Saturday. You pay by touching a myki card, a mobile myki, or a contactless Mastercard or Visa on and off each mode of transport. The CBD itself is laid out in an orderly grid similar to Manhattan, so navigating the centre on foot between tram stops is easy.
The network
Melbourne's public transport is a patchwork of interlinking modes: trains, trams and buses, plus regional rail and coach services and passenger ferries.
- Suburban rail (metro): Trains extend from the centre to the outer suburbs, with the historic Flinders Street station as the main suburban terminus and Southern Cross station as the regional rail hub on the western side of the CBD. The suburban network was electrified from 1919 onwards. Trains have fare gates or distinctive green validators to touch before you board and after you alight.
- Trams (light rail): Melbourne operates the world's largest tram network, criss-crossing the city. Trams are only accessible via a low-floor tram at accessible stops, mostly in the CBD and St Kilda. Tram route 109 runs from near Station Pier in Port Melbourne into the heart of the city along Collins Street. A Free Tram Zone operates within the CBD.
- Buses: Buses cover the destinations that trains and trams do not reach, and Melbourne has well-connected bus services across the city. The SmartBus system was recommended for the eastern suburbs as part of the 2006 Meeting our Transport Challenges plan.
- Regional and interstate rail: V/Line is the regional rail operator for Victoria, with services to Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Bairnsdale, Warrnambool, Swan Hill and other places, plus some interstate services including the train to Albury and combined train/coach services to Adelaide and Canberra. NSW TrainLink runs between Sydney and Melbourne twice daily, and The Overland links Adelaide and Melbourne twice weekly in each direction.
- Ferries and boats: Melbourne is served by international cruise ships throughout the year, particularly in the summer cruise season. All passenger ships arrive at and depart from Station Pier in Port Melbourne, about 5 km from the CBD. The Spirit of Tasmania, which formerly served Melbourne from Devonport in northern Tasmania, relocated its terminal to Geelong in 2022.
Tickets & fares
There are three ways to pay for your journey in Melbourne:
- A myki card. You can buy and top up the card with credit at Melbourne Airport, many train stations and tram stops, some retail stores such as 7-Eleven, and online. The adult card costs $6, the concession card $3, and the youth card $5. The card can be refunded at Southern Cross train station.
- A Mobile myki. You can download and top up a mobile myki via the Google Wallet app.
- A Mastercard or Visa. Contactless bank cards work directly on the network.
Your fare is deducted as you touch on and touch off each mode of transport. Trains have fare gates or distinctive green validators to touch before you board and after you alight; trams and buses have validators to touch as you board and alight. Touching off on a tram is optional and not recommended in the CBD. The fare you pay depends on where you travel, how long you travel, and whether you are eligible for discounted or free travel.
The system calculates a 2-hour fare the first time you touch on, and a daily fare if you touch on again more than 2 hours after your first touch on. The daily fare is valid on all public transport until 3AM the next day, so you will never pay more than the daily fare no matter how much you travel around the city. Zone 1+2 covers the entire city, while Zone 2 covers the outer suburbs only. There is also a Free Tram Zone within the CBD: you do not need to touch on if you remain within it, but you do need to touch on if you wish to travel beyond it, and touching on inside the Free Tram Zone will result in a Zone 1+2 fare.
Two lesser-known discounts are worth knowing. The Early Bird discount applies to train commuters: if you touch on and touch off before 7AM, you will not be charged, though this does not apply to trams or buses. The evening discount is more broadly useful: if you touch on for the first time after 6PM, you can travel as much as you like until 3AM for the price of a 2-hour fare.
For longer stays, myki passes are available: a 7-day pass is priced at roughly AUD 29.40–43.00, and 28–365-day passes are priced at roughly AUD 3.52–5.18 multiplied by the number of days. Pay-as-you-go myki money fares are roughly AUD 2.94–4.30 for a 2-hour fare and AUD 5.88–8.60 for a daily fare. These figures are approximate, vary by concession and card type, and change over time, so check current fares before you travel.
From the airport
Melbourne Airport, also known as Tullamarine Airport (MEL), is 22 km north-west of the CBD in the Hume region, with regular flights from all major Australian and New Zealand cities and direct flights from Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
- SkyBus: Runs regularly to the City, St Kilda, Mornington Peninsula and Western suburbs, costing about $24 one way if you book online, or $40 return.
- Public bus via Broadmeadows: For travellers on a budget, Melbourne Airport can be accessed by public bus from Broadmeadows station.
- Train: There is no train link to the airport, though multiple proposals have been put forward for decades.
- Taxi and rideshare: A taxi into the Melbourne CBD costs around $75–100, and Uber ranks outside Terminal 4 and Terminal 2 cost between $50–70.
Avalon Airport (AVV) is a mainly domestic airport 55 km south-west of Melbourne in Lara, near Geelong, with flights to Sydney and the Gold Coast operated by Jetstar. SkyBus runs to Southern Cross Station in the CBD via Werribee, meeting every flight arrival and departure; the transfer costs $22 one-way for an adult and $10 for a child aged 4–14. Other than the coach, there is no public transport from Avalon: Lara Station is 8 km from the terminal, and a taxi to that station costs about $20, while a taxi to the city could cost upwards of $100.
Etiquette & customs
Melbourne's public transport is busy but orderly, and a few local habits will help you fit in.
- Touch on and off correctly: Always touch your card on the green validators or fare gates before boarding trains, and as you board and alight trams and buses. On trams in the CBD, touching off is optional and not recommended.
- Free Tram Zone awareness: If you are only travelling within the CBD's Free Tram Zone, you do not need to touch on. Touching on inside the zone will charge you a Zone 1+2 fare, so only touch on if you intend to travel beyond it.
- Accessibility: Most of the train and bus network is wheelchair and pram accessible. Trams are only accessible via a low-floor tram at accessible stops, mostly in the CBD and St Kilda, so plan ahead if you need step-free access.
- Rush hour: The Early Bird discount rewards train commuters who touch on and off before 7AM, and the evening discount rewards those who first touch on after 6PM — useful if you want to avoid the busiest periods and save money at the same time.
- Night travel: Regular services generally stop around midnight Monday to Saturday, so if you are out late on a Friday or Saturday, rely on the Night Network, which operates after midnight.
Official links
Survival terms
Melbourne's public transport operates in English, so the key terms you will encounter are:
- Subway/metro: train (suburban rail)
- Ticket: myki card
- Line: route (as in tram route 109)
- Entrance: entry
- Exit: exit
- Transfer: touch on / touch off between modes
- Single fare: 2-hour fare
- Day pass: daily fare
Before you travel, download the Transport Victoria app or check its website for live disruptions, and remember that a daily fare caps your spending until 3AM the next day — so explore as much of the city as you like.