How to use this site
This section provides helpful tips for people using Metlink's website and Journey Planner.
A basic guide to Metlink's new website
How to find a timetable
How to use the Journey Planner
Technical information and Downloads
Also see:
Getting started - a guide to planning your trip, purchasing your ticket and using public transport in Melbourne and Victoria.
A basic guide to Metlink's new website
Homepage
Main features:
- Displays the most recent service updates and news items
- Two search options – site search (searches all content in site) and transport search (this works like a more advanced version of Timetable Quick Search on the old site)
Top navigation bar categories:
Click on the links on the left hand navigation bar or from the list on the main page itself to select the mode of travel and then select the relevant route from the drop down list.
After selecting a route, you will be able to access:
- Timetable information
- Route description
- Route map
Journey Planner FAQs and a list of services included in the Journey Planner are also in the FAQ page of this section.
Click on the links on the left hand navigation bar or from the list on the main page itself to view public transport maps, train station and tram and bus top information.
Main features:
- Melbourne Public Transport Map - shows the complete bus, tram and train network throughout Melbourne).
- Local area profiles - select the council area to get a list of the train stations, lines, and bus and tram routes within it.
- Train and tram network maps - including City Circle Tram and NightRider bus.
- V/Line network map - shows regional services operating throughout Victoria.
- Station and Stop information - choose a suburb from the drop down list to view all stations and stops within it. Select a particular station or stop to find out what facilities are available (such as wheelchair access, public toilets, opening hours).
- List of Premium Stations - click on the station name to view the facilities/opening hours.
Click on the links on the left hand navigation bar or from the list on the main page itself to find out more about fares and tickets for using public transport in Melbourne and Victoria.
Main features:
- Metcard types and prices
- Metropolitan zone information
- Where to buy tickets
- How to use ticket machines
- Skybus and Sunbus ticket prices
- Telebus ticket information
- Commuter Club information
- V/Line fares & tickets - provides list of V/Line ticket types, basic fare information and explanation of off-peak rules
- Regional city fares & tickets - lists ticket types for bus services within regional cities (non-V/Line services)
- Concessions
- Authorised Free Travel - information about the types of concessions and free travel allowed
- Children on public transport - guidelines for taking children on public transport
- Animals on public transport - guidelines for taking animals on public transport
- Information in other languages, phone numbers for the various interpreter services for public transport enquiries and fact sheets translated into languages other than English
- Rules and regulations - includes basic info about validating, ticket refunds and replacements, luggage allowance
- Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual - downloadable by chapter.
Click on the links on the left hand navigation bar or from the list on the main page itself to find out more about using public transport in Melbourne and Victoria.
- Getting started - a guide to planning your trip, purchasing your ticket and using public transport in Melbourne and Victoria
- About Metlink and Viclink - information about Metlink/Viclink as well as Metlink’s contact details, all brochures/publications available for download
- Symbol meanings and glossary - list of common public transport symbols and phrases
- Sponsorship - details about Metlink sponsorship and downloadable sponsorship application form
- Safe travel - how to travel safely on public transport
- Useful links
- Useful phone numbers
- Lost property
- Metlink education - details about the various schools’ programs available
- Info in other languages - phone numbers for the various interpreter services for public transport enquiries as well as all the fact sheets translated into languages other than English
- Customer feedback guide - provides information about the complaints process and contact details for the various operators.
Click on the links on the left hand navigation bar or from the list on the main page itself to find out more about mobility aid access in Melbourne and Victoria.
Main features:
- Mobility aid access - information about travelling on public transport with a wheelchair or other type of mobility aid
- Free travel - lists common free travel cards for customers with special needs
- Information in other languages - phone numbers for the various interpreter services for public transport enquiries, all the fact sheets translated into languages other than English.
The latest news is organised into the following categories:
- Service updates - updates about changes or disruptions to train, tram, bus services in Melbourne and Victoria
- Media releases -
- Events and promotions
- Sponsorships -
How to use the Journey Planner
The Metlink Journey Planner enables you to plan your journey in Melbourne and Victoria using public transport.
All you need to do is enter your origin and destination, and the time you wish to depart or arrive, and the Journey Planner will calculate the five options that best suit your preferences.
1. Entering your origin and destination
Enter your origin and destination in the From and To fields.
How to enter your origin or destination
Railway stations
To enter railway stations, type all or part of the station name into the From or To field. If you don’t know the full name of the station, you can type part of the name or the suburb or town.
Tram and bus stops
To enter bus or tram stops, type all or part of the stop name into the From or To field.
If you don’t know the correct name of a tram or bus stop, enter whatever you know about the stop - for example, the street name. When you click Search, the Journey Planner will display a selection of stops for you to choose from.
Correctly naming tram and bus stops
It helps to know how to correctly name tram or bus stops.
Tram stop names start with the stop number followed by the nearest cross street and the street in which you are travelling, in that order. For example, ‘2-King St/Bourke St’ means ‘Stop 2 on Bourke St, at the intersection of King St’. (Notice the cross street - King Street - is first, and the street that you are travelling on - Bourke Street - is second.)
Bus stop names start with the nearest cross street and end with the street in which you are travelling, in that order. For example, ‘Elgin St/Lygon St’ means the bus stop on Lygon Street at the intersection with Elgin Street. (Notice the intersection - Elgin Street - is first, and the street that you are travelling on - Lygon Street - is second.)
Some stops are named by a landmark instead of a cross street – for example, “6-Melbourne Town Hall/Collins St”, or “Dandenong Market/Cleeland St”.
2. Travel summary
This information is a summary of the journey details that you have entered in your request.
The five journeys that best suit your request are listed in the table under ‘Your Options’. For each journey you will find:
- departure and arrival times
- total time of the journey
- number of transfers
- an icon for each transport method (for example, metropolitan train, regional bus) used in the journey
- the zone(s) travelled through in the journey.
Clicking Details will open a detailed Travel Plan for the specific travel option.
To search for journeys that depart or arrive earlier or later than the ones listed, click Earlier or Later to browse through your options.
You can change any part of your request at any stage. Click Modify, make your changes, then request your journey options.
Clicking Reset will clear your request details, enabling you to enter details for a new journey and request your journey options.
If you want to view options for your journey back again, click Return Journey. The origin and destination will swap places and you can request options for your return journey.
For example, if you have created a Travel Plan for a journey from Mordialloc to Box Hill, clicking Return Journey will open a new request for a journey from Box Hill to Mordialloc. Fill in the other details and view your options.
You can request options for an onward trip from the current destination to somewhere else. To do this, click Onward Journey. The destination will change to the origin and you can enter the remaining details for your onward journey. For example, if you have created a Travel Plan for a journey from Preston to Elwood, clicking Onward Journey will open a new request with Elwood as the starting point. Fill in the other details and view your options.
3. Travel Plan
In each Travel Plan you will find:
- Icons to help you quickly identify the transport mode for each part of your journey
- Departure and arrival times at each stop in your journey.
- Stop to stop instructions, including train, tram or bus service information where relevant.
Any helpful or additional information is listed in the Information column, next to the relevant stage of your journey. You will often find a link to the Timetable for a particular service here.
You can change any part of your request at any stage. Click Modify, make your changes, then request your journey options.
Clicking Reset will clear your request details, enabling you to enter details for a new journey and request your journey options.
If you want to view options for your journey back again, click Return Journey. The origin and destination will swap places and you can request options for your return journey. For example, if you have created a Travel Plan for a journey from Mordialloc to Box Hill, clicking Return Journey will open a new request for a journey from Box Hill to Mordialloc. Fill in the other details and view your options.
You can request options for an onward trip from the current destination to somewhere else. To do this, click Onward Journey. The destination will change to the origin and you can enter the remaining details for your onward journey. For example, if you have created a Travel Plan for a journey from Preston to Elwood, clicking Onward Journey will open a new request with Elwood as the starting point. Fill in the other details and view your options.
4. Other helpful tips for using the Journey Planner
Planning a journey in advance
When planning a journey in advance, make sure you check the journey again closer to the date you are travelling as services may change.
Look out for links
Throughout your travel plan options you will often find links to extra information. The links are there to help you plan your journey. Look out for links to Metcard and V/Line ticket information, train, tram and bus route descriptions and timetables, transport operator websites, and railway station and stop information.
Changed your mind?
Use the Modify button on the Travel Summary or Travel Plan page to change any part of your journey search. You can use this button to narrow down, broaden or change your search. You can change your origin or destination, de-select or select modes to travel by, change your travel preference or change your walking speed and walking time limit.
For example, if you have previously only selected Metropolitan Train and Metropolitan Tram travel modes, you might change your request and select Metropolitan Bus as well. This will broaden your search and may result in different options for your journey.
What's your travel preference?
You can use the Travel Preference options to plan a journey that meets your specific needs. For example:
- If you want to arrive as soon as possible, enter your departure time and click Earliest arrival. The system will find the earliest possible arrivals at the destination.
- If you need to arrive at a certain time but want to leave as late as possible, choose an arrival time for your journey and click Latest departure. The system will find journeys that leave as late as possible while still making it to your destination on time.
- The Fewest changes option will find journeys that have the least amount of interchanges between your origin and destination, keeping transfers between trains, trams or buses to a minimum.
- The Least walking option finds journeys that include the least amount of walking between stations or stops.
Keep an eye out for alterations
Look out for Service Updates and other notices which may affect your journey.
What is the lowest fare?
The Journey Planner will return the minimum adult fare required for any metropolitan journey. For most journeys this is a 2 Hour Metcard fare for the relevant zone(s) of travel.
If you plan to use public transport more than once, however, there are a number of value Metcards which may suit your needs. View a full listing of available Metcards.
For regional journeys or journeys that require both Metcard and V/Line tickets, see V/Line fares & tickets and Regional fares & tickets, or call 131 638 for detailed fare information that is specific to your journey.
How to find a timetable
The timetables section of this website allows you to get up-to-date timetable information for metropolitan and regional train, tram, bus and coach services. Timetables are updated with service alteration and disruption information, making this a great resource even if you are familiar with a particular route.
Step 1: Select the mode of transport you want a timetable for. (For example, 'Metropolitan train')
Step 2: Select the train, tram, bus or coach route from the 'Timetable Route Search'. (For example, 'Belgrave Line')
Step 3: Select the direction you wish to travel (For example, 'To Belgrave').
Step 4: You will now be able to view the current timetable for the route you have chosen.
Note: Timetables automatically default to the current time period. (For example, if it is 12pm when you are performing your timetable search, you will see a list of all trains departing from the City and travelling to Belgrave between 10am-3pm.
Step 5: You can change the date in the 'Travel Date' field by entering the date manually, or by selecting the date in the calendar.
You can select a different time period from the drop-down list under 'Time Period'. Time period options include: Full day, 2am-4am, 4am-7am, 7am-10am, 10am-3pm, 3pm-7pm, 7pm-10pm and 10pm-2am).
Step 6: Select 'Go' to receive the timetable for the date and time period you have requested.
You can easily enquire about the timetable for your return journey by selecting a different direction of travel in the 'Direction of Travel' field. Selecting 'Go' after changing the direction of travel will take you to the timetable for your return journey.
Other features
You can also select 'Route Description' or 'Route Map' for further details about stations and stops along the particular route in question. Click 'Service Updates' for information which may affect your journey.
Technical information
Screen resolution
While the site has been optmised for 1024 x 768 screen resolution it will display according to the settings you select.
Browser resolution
The site is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution but will function from 600 x 800 to the largest browser size.
Font size
To increase or reduce font size - go to the Browser setting 'View' select 'Text Size' and choose a size. The site will look best in 'Medium'. (Note: This may not apply to all browsers).
Downloads
Maps may take some time to download depending on the speed of your Internet connection.
The Melbourne Public Transport Map has a great deal of information contained within it and requires 'Flash 8' technology to function. To see what version of Flash you currently have installed, visit: http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/
If you have an old version of Flash or do not have Flash at all, you can download it by visiting:
Download Adobe Flash Player
Printing pages, maps and publications
Most of the pages on this website will print in a pre-formatted style to suit A4 black and white and colour printer. Use the 'Print Page icon' on the right hand side of most pages to print to A4.
Some items such as maps and publications are only available in PDF format.
If you wish to print a map or publication you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader - if you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it here:
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader
Email a friend
You can choose to 'Email a friend' from many pages. If you use this function, your friend will be emailed a link to the page you have selected.
Feedback
Metlink appreciates your feedback. If you wish to provide feedback, please click on the link at the bottom of this page or use the Feedback button at the top of the site to access a feedback form.
