Melbourne public transport patronage

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Herald Sun --> Victorian public transport: 42 million more journeys made than five years ago

VICTORIA'S public transport system is feeling the strain, with an extra 42 million journeys made compared with five years ago.

Public transport use has soared 7.6 per cent from 550 million trips in 2011-12 to 592 million trips in 2015-16. Trips on Melbourne trains have passed 233 million, up from 222 million five years ago.

That figure is forecast to top 241 million passengers in 2016-17, placing even more strain on Melbourne's congested train system.

More than 550,000 train trips are made to and from the CBD each day.

Tram use has risen from nearly 192 million boardings in 2011-12 to almost 204 million in 2015-16.

Boasting nearly 1800 stops, Melbourne's tram network is the biggest in the world, with Swanston St and St Kilda Rd among our busiest corridors.

Almost 123 million crammed onto Melbourne's buses last year while more than 32 million made regional train, coach and bus trips.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said Victoria's public transport system was becoming a victim of its success.

He urged the government to do more to improve reliability, relieve crowding, and cut waiting times.

"There's no doubt more people are using public transport — that's a good thing because it means more people are able to get around Melbourne without getting clogged in traffic," Mr Bowen said.

"But it also means on some services crowding is getting worse. This is now a problem at all times of day, not just traditional peak hours.

"Adding more services is vital if the public transport network is going to keep up with population growth."

Public Transport Victoria chief executive Jeroen Weimar said it was working with the government and operators to give passengers a public transport service that met the needs of a growing population

"We're seeing a significant rise in the number of people using trains, trams and buses every day and we are responding by continuing to improve the services we offer," he said.

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PTV Network statistics --> https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/about-ptv/victorias-public-transport-network/network-statistics/