Victoria’s public transport system has begun a new renaissance, at least if you live in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area. Many of these changes will likely affect the way you get around town. Whether you’re a gunzel (a railway or tram enthusiast) or taxpayer, these developments should be a source of satisfaction.

You’ve no doubt now been made well aware of the Metro Tunnel and its five new stations. Soft opening in November of last year and commencing full service during the Big Switch in February, the Metro Tunnel aims to relieve congestion on the 40+-year-old City Loop and connect the busy south-eastern Pakenham/Cranbourne line to the Sunbury line in the north-west.

Having begun my regular patronage on public transport coincidentally with the beginning of the tunnelling and related construction sites of the city, it has been nice to see the conclusion of said construction. It had defined the city as I had grown to know it, as sound sheds have come down with brand new stations in their place.

For patrons of the Sunbury and Pakenham/Cranbourne lines, the Metro Tunnel will allow direct travel between stations of both lines without interchanging, as well as being routed through the “Munnel” as opposed to the City Loop. This also means that those familiar with the beloved, yet aging Comengs, and the comparatively newer Siemens trains will find themselves riding the HCMTs (High Capacity Metro Trains), which have been servicing the Pakenham/Cranbourne line since 2021.

Relevant to many UniMelb students will also be the deprecation of the popular 401 and 202 bus routes, the shuttles running from North Melbourne Station to UniMelb which have now been combined into the Route 241, running between North Melbourne Station, through the hospital precinct and the Uni, and to Yarra Bend.

For other lines, changes have been relatively underwhelming, with the Craigieburn and Upfield Lines “graciously” receiving 20-minute off-peak services, to the disappointment of many, myself included, but is purported to be due to bottlenecks in the City Loop. Further changes include the return of the Frankston line to the Loop and its disconnection from Werribee and Williamstown line services. And for those often forgotten on the V/Line, frequency improvements include those to the Seymour, Echuca and Traralgon lines. And those are apparently only the beginning, as more changes to the Craigieburn, Werribee, Sandringham and Upfield lines have been hinted at.

Consolation prizes are in order for the Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines, however, as the much-anticipated X’Trapolis 2.0 trains are expected to enter service sometime this year. These are set to begin the phasing out of the aforementioned Comeng trains, whose tenure on the tracks now exceed 40 years. Of the same French manufacturer, Alstom, who are responsible for the X'Trapolis100 trains which run across much of Melbourne's east, we’ll just have to see if their successors share the same suspension problems which have cheekily earned them the nickname, X’Trampolines.

Victoria’s Myki system has often been a thing to poke fun at, especially by those returning from Sydney with their Opal system, allowing for tap-to-pay in addition to the eponymous cards. After a trial of credit and debit cards on buses in Wangaratta beginning in November 2024, a similar system will be rolled out in Victoria imminently and is in its final testing phase after delays. You’ve probably noticed the transition of older Myki readers into the new Conduent readers, which will allow for the new payment system. I’m grateful to be rid of the sluggishness of the old readers, but I’ll miss the sound of them. Also, under-18s now travel free! How great is that?

Despite their charm and iconic status, the Z-class and A-class high-floor trams have been long overdue for a replacement. Melbourne’s tram system has long been a problem for those with mobility restrictions, with only 18 per cent of services being accessible for such commuters. Coming soon this year, the brand spanking new G-class trams will be introduced on the 57, 59 and 82 tram lines, in the city’s north-west, which as of yet exclusively feature inaccessible high-floor trams. This progressive rollout is part of a wider plan to provision these new trams throughout the rest of the network where fit. Whether the needs of patrons with mobility restrictions will also be met with the construction of more accessible tram stops, too, is yet to be seen, and is an often-forgotten piece of making our public transport truly usable for all.

After what feels like a long and loud-with-construction slumber, Victoria’s public transport is undergoing a transformation, especially with the iconic Public Transport Victoria branding being absorbed into the new Transport Victoria. Only time will tell what the future will bring for public transport in Victoria, with many more projects still yet to come, including the nebulous Airport Rail and the SRL East, whilst upgrades such as the Melton line electrification and the much-needed Gowrie turn-back on the Upfield line, remain up in the air.