Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the operator and brand name of train services on the electrified metropolitan rail network serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest urban rail network in Australia, with 17 lines and 227 stations across of railways, and the second busiest network in Australia, with a patronage of 182.5 million as of 2023–2024.
The network is owned by Transport Victoria who sublet the infrastructure and rolling stock to Metro Trains Melbourne, a joint venture between Hong Kong–based MTR Corporation (60%), John Holland Group (20%) and UGL Rail (20%). The three constituent companies are also partners in the Metro Trains Sydney joint venture, which has operated the Sydney Metro network since 2019. Metro Trains Melbourne took over as operator from Connex in 2009.
Metro Trains Melbourne operates a fleet of 269 six-car train sets on over of track. There are sixteen regular service rail lines and one special events railway line. Metro Trains Melbourne is also responsible for 222 railway stations and employs a workforce of 7,000 including train drivers, mechanical and electrical engineers, network operations specialists and station officers.
The railway track, infrastructure and rolling stock is owned by VicTrack on behalf of the State Government, and is leased to Transport Victoria which then sub-leases them to Metro Trains Melbourne. The State Government now also owns the name 'Metro,' and it will likely stay after a change of operators. Metro Trains has faced criticism in the past and was voted the worst rail system in Australia in 2011. However, the operation, punctuality and consistency of the network has greatly improved since 2014 with level crossing removals, target benchmarks for trains and more frequent trains.
History
Metro Trains Melbourne was selected as the new operator by the Government of Victoria through its relevant agency, the Director of Public Transport, in June 2009 and replaced the previous operator, Connex Melbourne, on 30 November 2009."Melbourne operators selected" Railway Gazette International August 2009 page 12 It was awarded an eight-year contract with the option of being extended for a further seven years. On 2 April 2012, the newly created Public Transport Victoria (now Transport Victoria) took over the management of the contract from the Director of Public Transport.
In May 2012, Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union accused Metro Trains of taking shortcuts in safety procedures, including not checking on-board CCTV and intercoms, and allowing trains with cracked inner glass to take passengers. Metro Trains claim safety equipment is regularly checked during routine maintenance. It was reported in 2013 that tens of thousands of passengers were missing out on compensation when Metro failed to meet monthly performance targets, either because they were not aware of their entitlements or didn't want the hassle of going through a complicated claims system.
On 13 July 2017, Metro experienced a computer outage which resulted in 224 services being cancelled, and 378 services running late. Metro was fined a total of $1.2 million and was forced to reimburse $620,000 to the customers affected. Metro Trains chief Mike Haughton said: "A failure in the core train control system had meant operators could not see the trains, so it was shut down for safety reasons."
In September 2017 the state government extended the contract with Metro Trains until November 2024.Melbourne suburban rail operating contract awarded Railway Gazette International 12 September 2017 It was later extended to May 2026,UGL Melbourne Metro contract extended Rail Express 14 March 2023 then until November 2027.
Rolling stock The majority of rolling stock is owned by the Victorian Government business enterprise VicTrack. Metro Trains Melbourne is responsible for maintaining the train fleet. All trains on the Melbourne suburban network are electric (bar the Stony Point Line), operated by drivers, and fitted with power-operated sliding doors which are closed by the driver, but opened by passengers. While the doors of the newer X'Trapolis, Siemens and HCMT sets are opened by a button, the Comeng sets' doors are manually slid open using a handle but still automatically closed by the driver. The Comeng and X'Trapolis sets also have inter-car doors that separate carriages and reduce cabin noise (notably these two sets are the loudest of the four currently active on the electrified section). All trains are fitted with air conditioning, closed-circuit cameras, and emergency intercom systems. Comeng, Seimens and X'Trapolis trains are fixed into three car units, and may operate alone or in pairs. HCMT trains are fixed into seven car units.
As part of the 2008 Victorian Transport Plan, 38 six-car X'Trapolis EMUs were ordered, with the first of 19 trains built by Alstom in Italy arriving at the Newport Workshops on 24 August 2009. The trains were assembled at United Group's Ballarat North Workshops, under a state government requirement for a minimum of 40% local content. Further orders of X'Trapolis saw the fleet total 212 3-car or 106 6-car sets by the time the final sets entered service in 2020.
In September 2016, Evolution Rail (a consortium of Downer Rail, Changchun Railway Vehicles and Plenary Group) was selected to build 65 new High Capacity Metro Trains for delivery from 2019.1,100 Jobs with 65 New Trains Built in Victoria, For Victoria Premier of Victoria 12 September 2016Evolution Rail to supply Melbourne high capacity EMUs Railway Gazette International 12 September 2016
In May 2021, an order of 25 X'Trapolis 2.0 trains was confirmed by the Victorian Government in the lead up to the 2021/22 election. The trains will run first on the Craigieburn, Frankston and Upfield lines and are expected to enter in early to mid 2026. These trains have been ordered to allow the retirement of the 40 year old Comeng Trains. In 2022, scrapping began on the oldest of the Comeng Trains after the withdrawal of a series of Comeng Sets. The Pakenham and Cranbourne line is entirely run by HCMT trains since the end of 2022, which will be followed by the Sunbury line in 2026. With the introduction of X'Trapolis 2.0s expected to occur at that time, all Comeng trains will be retired.
Current fleet Type Image Type Top speed (km/h) Built Number Notes Comeng EMU 115 1981–1988 190 3-car sets Refurbished 2000–2003, second refurbishment 2017–2021 Retirement began in 2017 with the whole fleet expected to be retired by 2032. X'Trapolis 100 143 2002–2004, 2009–2019 212 3-car setsOrdered by Connex between 2002 - 2008 with later orders by Metro between 2009 - 2020. Siemens Nexas 145 2002–2005 72 3-car setsOrdered by M>Train between 2002 - 2003. HCMT 130 2018–2024 70 7-car setsTrain order reveals Airport Rail Link on track Herald Sun (subscription required) Entered service between December 2020 - June 2024.X'Trapolis 2.01302024–present50 6-car sets7 sets currently built and in testing or in service. Entered service beginning May 2026, final sets expected to enter service in 2030. Sprinter DMU 130 1993–1995 2 cars Leased from V/Line for use on the Stony Point line.
Maintenance fleet Type Image Type Top speed(km/h) Built Number Notes Diesel electric locomotives P class 100 19849 Leased from Southern Shorthaul Railroad for use on maintenance trains.IEV102Overhead inspection carriage11519581Built as Harris trailer 679T in 1958, converted to H type carriage MTH 102 in 1984, and converted to inspection carriage IEV102 in 2011. Was initially retired in 2023 and stored, then returned as an inspection carriage again in April 2026 to be hauled by a P or T Class Locomotives and modified Alstom Comeng carriages 633M-634M and 585M-586M. EV120 Infrastructure evaluation carriage 120 2021 1 Built by Geismar in 2021, to replace IEV100 and IEV102. Can only be hauled by P or T Class locomotives or modified Alstom Comeng sets 633M-634M and 585M-586M. Nicknamed 'Evie'. ECOM (Evaluation Comeng)Modified Alstom Comeng1151985 & 19872 2-car trainsOriginally built in 1985 (585M-586M) and 1987 (633M-634M) for passenger service. Both withdrawn in May 2025 for conversion into evaluation sets. Former trailer carriages scrapped and motor carriages converted, Used to haul EV120 through the Metro Tunnel as diesel locomotives cannot travel through it. Nicknamed 'Evette'.
Former fleet Type Image Type Top speed (km/h) Built Number Notes Hitachi EMU 115 1972–1981 14 3-car sets Refurbished 2007. Retired and stored 2013, farewell tour 2014. All sets transferred to Newport Workshops by 2015. Planned to be scrapped some point in the future, except the 6 preserved carriages, although 2 of these are undergoing asbestos testing.IEV100Track evaluation vehicle80 when recording100 when not recording19851Built as EM100, recoded to IEV100 in 2013. Retired in 2023, Stored at South Dynon, future unknown.
Classification and configuration
Since shortly after the introduction of suburban electric trains in Melbourne, their carriages have been classified as follows. All fleet types have used these classifications, with different fleet types using different number ranges for the carriages.
M indicates a motorised carriage, with a driving compartment. T indicates a trailer carriage. D indicated a trailer carriage with a driving compartment. Only Swing-door, Tait, and Hitachi trains had these. G indicated a trailer carriage fitted with both electric and gas lighting, for use on both suburban and country services. Only Tait trains had these. BT indicated a second class trailer carriage. Only Swing-door and Harris trains had these. Prior to the abolition of first class suburban travel in 1958, motor carriages were second class and trailer carriages were first class (except for some Swing-door carriages).
An exception to the above classifications was the trial double-deck train, which used T to indicate a trailer carriage with a driving compartment, and M to indicate a motorised carriage without a driving compartment.
Currently, all trains except for the HCMT stock are assembled into a symmetrical M-T-M arrangement. Trains comprise either one or two such units. All peak period services and some off-peak services comprise two units. The Hitachi trains, retired in 2014, operated in fixed two-unit sets.
Lines and services
Melbourne uses "clock-face" timetables in off-peak periods, but generally not in peak periods, due to operating near to the capacity of the infrastructure and having to accommodate single-line sections, flat junctions, and regional diesel-hauled trains. Even in off-peak periods, however, frequencies vary according to time of day and day of week, and by line. In some places, services on two lines combine to provide more frequent services on common sections of tracks. Saturday and Sunday services are identical during the day, but differ during the evening on some lines. Sunday morning services however start later than on Saturdays, and run less frequently until around 10am.
Metro Trains Melbourne operates several passenger rail lines and one special events railway line, under operating groups as follows.
Burnley Group
, , & lines
Lilydale and Belgrave trains operate through the City Loop, running anticlockwise on weekday mornings, and clockwise on weekday afternoons and weekends. Most trains run express during peak hours, with increased frequency in both directions, but more frequent in the direction of peak. Using the triple track from Box Hill to Burnley, express trains can overtake local trains in the direction of the peak.
Glen Waverley trains run direct to and from Flinders Street on weekday mornings. On weekday afternoons and weekends, Glen Waverley trains operate clockwise via the Loop, with Belgrave and Lilydale services.