Melbourne's 24-Hour Weekend Public Transport Is Here to Stay
A permanent night network is becoming a reality.
Good news for all you night owls out there: 24-hour weekend public transport in Melbourne is set to continue as a permanent service for the city's late night travellers.
The state government first began trialling the Night Network at the beginning of 2016 with metropolitan train services, as well as select tram and bus routes, operating all night long. In August last year, it extended the test run through until June 2017; however now Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan has announced that it's here to stay. "The best cities in the world don't stop when the sun goes down – and neither does Melbourne," said Allan in a statement.
More than two million trips have been taken on overnight services since the Night Network started running, with shift workers comprising more than 20 percent travellers. The implementation of all-night public transport was a key election issue for the Labor government, and it's no wonder that helping people get home after a late shift or a big night out has proven popular.
In a statement released today, the commitment to making the all-night weekend services a permanent feature will see an assessment take place based on passenger feedback and movement patterns, with an aim to improve the network post June 30. However that shakes out, you'll still be able to hop on a train, tram and bus all the way through the evening come Fridays and Saturdays. That's worth staying out late to celebrate.
Image: Binayak Dasgupta via Flickr.
By Tom Clift and Sarah Ward.
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