The Victorian Government has made several announcements around public transport over the past two days.  

Free public transport has been extended to the end of May, with half-price fares to follow for the rest of the year.  

The Government has also revealed that the Victorian Budget 2026/2027 will invest $637.6 million to deliver 25 new X’Trapolis 2.0 trains.  

“These new trains are bigger and better, more comfortable and more efficient – carrying around 1,225 passengers,” the government said in a statement. 

In total, 50 X’Trapolis 2.0 trains have been funded by the Allan Labor Government, with the first 25 set to roll out on the Cragieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines in the coming months. 

The new budget also invests $77.5 million to deliver extra train services across the network.  

There will be nine return services on the Shepparton line every weekday, and trains every 20 minutes on average to the end of the line on weekday evenings (up from every 30 minutes) on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines.  

There will be trains every 10 minutes on the Ringwood corridor on weekday evenings – an increase from every 15 minutes.  

On the Glen Waverley and Alamein lines, trains will run every 20 minutes on weekday evenings (up from every 30 minutes).

On the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines, there will be trains every 20 minutes to Mernda and Eltham all weekend, which is a spike from every 30 minutes in the evening and every 40 minutes on Sunday morning.

Services will run every 10 minutes between the city and Clifton Hill, up from every 15 minutes on weekend evenings and every 20 minutes on Sunday mornings into the city.

More services are ready to hit the network in the coming months. These include:

Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams said: “We’re putting our expanded network to work – delivering more services, more often across the network.”