Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, consists of several interlinking modes. Melbourne is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network, trains and buses, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include walking, cycling and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as taxis.
Melbourne is a busy regional transport hub for the statewide passenger rail network, coaches and interstate rail services to New South Wales and South Australia. Freight transport also makes up a significant proportion of trips made on the network from the Port of Melbourne, Melbourne Airport and industrial areas across the city.
According to the 2016 Australian census, Melbourne has the second-highest rate of public transport usage among Australian capital cities for travel to work at 19 percent, second to Sydney's 27 percent. In 2017–2018, 565 million passenger trips were made on Melbourne's metropolitan public transport network.
Melbourne has the most road space per capita of any Australian city, with its freeway network being comparable to Los Angeles and Atlanta in terms of its size and scale. Much of Australia's automotive industry was located in Melbourne until all manufacturing ceased at the end of 2017. The state government, as part of the release of the Melbourne 2030 planning strategy in 2002, set a target for modal share of cars to decrease to 80 percent by 2020. However, increases in car usage since this target was set has not shown the decline that was initially predicted.
Timeline
General 1837: The Hoddle Grid, Melbourne's first street system, is laid out. 1844: Princes Bridge on St Kilda Road, a toll bridge and the first over the Yarra River, opens. 1849: Melbourne's main streets are paved. 1850: Tolls are removed from Princes Bridge. 1854: Flinders Street railway station and the first rail line to Sandridge (Port Melbourne) open. 1858: The Spencer Street station is built, connecting Melbourne to the rest of Victoria. 1885: First cable tram to Hawthorn 1889: First electric tram between Doncaster and Box Hill 1890: Doncaster railway line first proposed. 1891: Flinders Street Viaduct opens as a single, then double track link between Flinders Street and Spencer Street stations. 1910: Present Flinders Street station opens as the main suburban railway terminus. 1919: Electrification of the suburban rail network commences, continuing to this day 1920s: Flinders Street station declared the world's busiest station several times. 1940: The Ashworth Improvement Plan details proposed improvements to suburban rail in the inner city. 1966: St Kilda Junction remodelled and Queens Way underpass created for new highways at Dandenong Road and Punt Road. 1969: Melbourne Transportation Plan released planning numerous freeways and railways. 1970: The West Gate Bridge collapses, and the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority is established. 1971: The Melbourne Underground Rail Loop project begins. 1977: First section of Eastern Freeway opens, with land reserved for a Doncaster railway line. The $202 million toll West Gate Bridge opens. Hoddle Highway is created from a four-lane widening of Hoddle Street and the demolition of buildings on the east side of Hoddle Street. 1980: The Lonie Report recommends replacing half the tram system with buses, as well as several railway lines in Melbourne and Victoria to be closed, but no tram routes were closed, and only 2 rail lines were closed to be replaced by trams. 1981: First stage of the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop opens. 1982: A transport bill is introduced in the Victorian Parliament. 1983: Transport Act 1983 receives royal assent on 23 June and becomes effective on 1 July. The act creates the State Transport Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Road Construction Authority and the Road Traffic Authority. Victorian Railways, the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board and the Country Roads Board are abolished. 1985: Tolls removed from the West Gate Bridge. 1987: St Kilda and Port Melbourne railway lines replaced by trams. 1989: Construction of the $631 million Western Ring Road begins. The Public Transport Corporation and VicRoads replace the State Transport Authority, Metropolitan Transit Authority, Road Construction Authority and Road Traffic Authority on 1 July. 1992: A new government is elected in October under Premier Jeff Kennett. Alan Brown is appointed Minister for Public Transport and Bill Baxter Minister for Roads and Ports. The Ministry of Transport is replaced by the Department of Transport, and transport administration functions are transferred from the Public Transport Corporation to the secretary of the Department of Transport. 1994: Free City Circle Tram begins. 1995: The Dandenong to Cranbourne rail electrification opens, reinstating passenger service after several years, and the Public Transport Competition Act is passed by Parliament. 1996: Construction of the $2 billion CityLink tollway begins, and the Rail Corporations Act is passed by Parliament. 1997: Design of the franchising of the public transport network begins. 1998: Legislation establishes the Director of Public Transport to manage public transport service and VicTrack, to own public-transport land and assets. 1999: The Western Ring Road and the Bolte Bridge, the second major road over the Yarra River, open. The state government commissions the Linking Victoria study. The Director of Public Transport, VicTrack and the franchising of services begin. 2002: Transport Minister Peter Batchelor announces that the airport rail link to Tullamarine would not viable for another 10 years, and commits to upgrading SkyBus service to the airport. The state government commissions a Melbourne 2030 planning report, aimed at addressing population growth of up to a million new residents. With recommendations for transport, including the expansion of major activity centres (such as Dandenong and Camberwell) with access to public transport and tripling of the Dandenong line, the document aimed for 20% of trips in Melbourne to be made by public transport by 2020. 2003: The $23 million Box Hill tram-light rail extension opens. 2004: The Linking Melbourne: Metropolitan Transport Plan summarised findings of the Inner West Integrated Transport Study, North East Integrated Transport Study, Outer Western Suburbs Transport Strategy, Whittlesea Strategic Transport Infrastructure Study and Northern Central City Corridor Strategy, recommending $1.5 billion in investment. The Southern Cross Station redevelopment (which ran late and over budget), Docklands light-rail extension and the Regional Fast Train system were planned for the Commonwealth Games. The $30.5 million Vermont South tram extension begins.
2005: The $2.5 billion EastLink Freeway project begins. 2006: The state government releases Meeting our Transport Challenges, a $10 billion plan to improve public transport and roads. It includes a "Think Tram" project to reduce tram travel times and recommendations for a (delayed) SmartBus system for the eastern suburbs. The Rail Safety Act, Victoria's first rail-safety statute, becomes effective on 1 August. New transport-ticketing regulations begin. The state's first independent rail and bus safety regulator and rail, bus and marine safety investigator begin on 1 August. 2007: Myki, a new public-transport ticketing system which was delayed and over budget, is scheduled to be introduced. The state government commissions an east–west transport plan. Public-transport ticketing zone 3 is abolished. An accreditation scheme for taxi, bus and other commercial passenger-vehicle drivers and for taxi-industry licence-holders, operators and network-service providers begins on 1 July. Australia's first "Copenhagen style" cycleways are implemented in Swanston Street, Carlton; Tim Pallas rejects a Melbourne City Council plan for a Copenhagen-style cycleway on St Kilda Road. The Accident Towing Services Act is passed by Parliament. 2008: The Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project, a dredging project to deepen Melbourne's shipping channels, begins. The $18 billion Eddington Transport Report, aimed at reducing traffic congestion, focuses on East–West routes and includes a controversial 18-kilometre road tunnel and 17-kilometre rail tunnel and a new rail line from Werribee to Deer Park, Victoria but does not address greenhouse emissions. Eastlink opens, and the Monash–CityLink–West Gate freeway upgrade begins. The Department of Transport (Victoria, 2008–13) replaces the Department of Infrastructure. The Australian Greens Victoria transport plan is released. Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky postpones an airport link 20 years.Rail link way down the track from theage.com.au The Victorian Transport Plan, the state government's fourth "long-term" transport statement since 2002, is released. New Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle proposes returning vehicle traffic to Swanston Street. 2009: The Accident Towing Services Act mandates new standards for tow-truck operations (including licence holders and drivers) on 1 January. The Transport Integration Bill (later the Transport Integration Act) is introduced in the Victorian Parliament on 10 December. Myki is introduced in late December on suburban trains. The Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009, speeding planning consents and delivery of rail, road and port projects, is passed by Parliament and begins on 1 September. Metro Trains Melbourne took over metropolitan rail operations from Connex Melbourne on 30 November 2009. 2010: A Fair Fines package begins on 1 February as part of Transport (Infringements) Regulations 2010, with infringement penalties for minors reduced by two-thirds and a graduated-penalties programme eliminated. The Transport Integration Act is passed by the Victorian Parliament in February, and becomes law on 1 July. Melbourne Bike Share, a public bicycle-hire service, is planned for mid-year. The Transport Act 1983 is renamed the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 on 1 July. Public-transport and marine-safety regulators merge to create the Director, Transport Safety on 1 July after the merger of Director, Public Transport Safety (Public Transport Safety Victoria) and Director, Marine Safety (Marine Safety Victoria). The Victorian Regional Channels Authority and the Port of Hastings Corporation are merged with the Port of Melbourne Corporation on 1 September. The new state government, elected on 27 November under Premier Ted Baillieu with Terry Mulder as Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads, Denis Napthine as Minister for Ports and Edward O'Donoghue as Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, promises to create the Victorian Public Transport Development Authority to plan and manage public transport in Victoria and Melbourne. The Tourist and Heritage Railways Act and the Marine Safety Act 2010 are passed by the Victorian Parliament. The Bus Safety Act begins on 31 December.