Night Network is Melbourne's weekend overnight public transport system, which commenced operation on 1 January 2016 for a 12-month trial, which was later extended by six-months, and made permanent in April 2017. It comprises all of Melbourne's regular electric railway lines, six tram lines, 21 night bus services, and four regional coach services. The night bus services replaced the previous NightRider services, with 10 operating radial from the CBD and the remaining 11 operating from suburban railway stations.

History

In January 2014, in the lead up to the

2014 Victorian State election The 2014 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 29 November 2014, was for the 58th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council were up for election. The incum ...

, the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

promised to commence a trial of all night public transport on weekends, dubbed ''Homesafe'', if elected. Following the Australian Labor Party's victory, cost overruns were announced in August 2015, with the plan to cost $83.6 million, not the $50 million estimated during the election, due to increased security costs. The network was unveiled on 30 October 2015, along with its new name, Night Network, with the Minister for Public Transport

Jacinta Allan Jacinta Marie Allan (born 19 September 1973) is an Australian politician serving as the 29th and current deputy premier of Victoria since June 2022. She is a member of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Labor Party and has been a member of ...

claiming 70% of Melbourne's dwellings would be covered by Night Network. Night Network commenced operation on 1 January 2016 on a 12-month trial basis. In its first weekend of operation 9,862

myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable ISO/IEC 7810, credit card-sized contactless smart card Automated fare collection, ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional ...

touch ons were recorded, representing a three-fold increase in patronage compared to the former NightRider bus system. However, this may understate patronage as it fails to account for fare evaders, those travelling in the free tram zone, and those with periodical tickets who may not have touched on. The trial was later extended until June 2017, and made permanent in April 2017.

Night Network services

Night Train

All of Melbourne's train services operated by

Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the franchise operator of the electrified suburban passenger service on the Melbourne rail network. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation (6 ...

, except the

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The race ...

and Stony Point lines, operate as part of Night Network, servicing all metropolitan stations except for City Loop stations and Southern Cross, which close at midnight and 1am respectively. Trains operate hourly on all lines, with some lines operating as shuttles from major interchange stations.

Night Tram

Routes 19, 67, 75, 86, 96 and

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operates overnight to half-hour frequencies. The Free Tram Zone remains in operation during Night Network operating times.

Night Bus

Twenty-one night bus services, operated by

CDC Melbourne CDC Melbourne is a bus operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It operates 55 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Australia. As at 2018, CDC Melbourne was the third-largest commuter ...

Dysons Dysons is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia. History Dysons was founded in June 1952 when Laurie Dyson purchased the business of Ned Gastin with route 46A Regent station to Janefield Hospital. Over the years a number of route ...

Kinetic Melbourne Kinetic Melbourne is a bus operator in Melbourne, Australia, operating a fleet of 531 buses on 43 bus routes, as well as seven SmartBus routes. It commenced operations on 31 January 2022, taking over all routes previously operated by Transdev M ...

, Transit Systems Victoria and Ventura Bus Lines, run to a 24-hour weekend service on Fridays and Saturdays, as part of Night Network. Thirteen routes operate on Fridays and Saturdays. Night Bus replaced NightRider bus services, which largely follow railway lines, with PTV claiming most passengers will still have access to all night public transport.

Night Coach

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...

operate Night Coach services to

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, mak ...

Traralgon Traralgon ( ) is a town located in the east of the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the most populous city of the City of Latrobe. The urban population of Traralgon at the was 26,907. It is the largest and fa ...

, and

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

, departing Southern Cross station at approximately 2am. The coaches operate in lieu of regional trains, servicing railway stations along said routes. In October 2016,

Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township *Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria *Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria *Seymour, Tasmania, a locality ...

was added to the network.

Ticketing

Myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable ISO/IEC 7810, credit card-sized contactless smart card Automated fare collection, ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional ...

tickets are valid for Night Network services, with standard fares applying, while V/Line tickets are charged at off-peak rates. Authorised Officers patrol Night Network, checking for fare evasion.

References

External links

Night Network – Public Transport Victoria
{{MelbournePublicTransport Bus transport in Melbourne Night bus service Public transport in Melbourne Rail transport in Victoria (Australia) Trams in Melbourne 2016 establishments in Australia