The Andrews Labor Government is making public transport affordable and accessible to Victorians in every corner of the state, with the regional fare cap coming into effect next week.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll today visited Southern Cross Station, which will see hundreds of thousands of passengers benefit when the regional fare cap is implemented from 31 March.

The Labor Government is capping the cost of a daily ticket on the entire regional Victorian network at the same price as a metro daily fare, ensuring families living in rural and regional Victoria can visit family and friends and access vital health and education services in other regional cities and in Melbourne.

That means more money in regional Victorians’ pockets, and more opportunities for families in Melbourne and visitors to the state to explore everything Victoria has to offer.

Passengers wishing to purchase a ticket for long-distance trains and coaches will be able to book ahead from tomorrow from 9am. At Southern Cross Station, tickets can be purchased from the ticketing office.

Current metro fares mean regional trips will initially be capped at $9.20 for a full fare or $4.60 for a concession – and at $6.70 and $3.35 for concession on a weekend or public holiday.

For those who take long-distance V/Line journeys, the regional fare cap can save people more than $40 for each and every journey on the regional public transport network.

The cap will also apply to interstate travel within 60 kilometres of the Victorian border, to ensure those living in border communities in New South Wales and South Australia benefit as well. The fare cap applies to all PTV regional buses, town buses and V/Line trains and coaches.

The Labor Government is continuing to boost the public transport network across regional Victoria, running more trains more often – investing nearly $1.5 billion in 59 new VLocity trains since 2014, which has created around 500 jobs.

Since 2014, an extra 800 V/Line train services have also been added – with a record 2,200 regional train services now operating every week. Almost 200 extra weekend services are set to be added to the V/Line timetable from 2024 – with a further order of 23 VLocity trains to meet the demands of a growing network.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit vline.com.au or ptv.vic.gov.au.

Quote attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“We’re proud to be making regional fares fair – making public transport accessible to passengers who live in every corner of our state and opening up regional Victoria to more visitors.”