Since 2019 I’ve been keeping abreast of patronage data for the train and tram network in Victoria. While previously I have had to lodge specific requests I am pleased to report that the open data situation has improved significantly. Most of this information is now publicly available on the data.vic.gov.au portal.
With the release of 2023-24 data I have updated my previous spreadsheets. You can now see patronage data by station going back to 2008 for metropolitan stations and 2013 for regional stations in these two spreadsheets below:
I have also reformatted and reorganised the document to make it easier to read.
Observations
Here are some preliminary observations that I have made looking at this data.
Patronage declines
| Station | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 (percentage) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkdale | -162,150 | -70% | Level crossing removal works |
| Keon Park | -138,350 | -51% | Level crossing removal works |
| Croydon | -204,550 | -42% | Level crossing removal works |
| Narre Warren | -161,500 | -38% | Level crossing removal works |
| Crib Point | -2,300 | -24% | |
| Camberwell | -389,900 | -24% | |
| Showgrounds | -30,400 | -18% | |
| Beaconsfield | -35,400 | -17% | Level crossing removal works |
| Riversdale | -23,250 | -14% | |
| Macleod | -59,300 | -13% |
While overall patronage increased significantly from 2022-23 there were still stations that recorded falls in patronage.
It seems that most if not all of these were related to works that disrupted access to stations for significant periods over the year, but not all.
Riversdale and Camberwell are unusual. Camberwell’s decline may be related to Ringwood Group bus replacements which commence and terminate there. Similarly Macleod’s may be related to the bus replacements on the Hurstbridge Line.
Crib Point starts from a low base but this particular decline may be related to bus replacements due to the Parkdale level crossing removal through the year.
For regional stations only three had declines in patronage.
| Station | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 (percentage) |
|---|---|---|
| Wandong | -4450 | -27.30% |
| Heathcote Junction | -600 | -11.54% |
| Tynong | -300 | -5.88% |
Wandong and Heathcote Junction may be related to disruptions caused by Inland Rail and Metro Trains works, but this doesn’t explain why usage at other stations on the Seymour Line didn’t fall. Perhaps it’s because Wandong is not too far away from Melbourne so some people who may have normally caught the train chose to drive instead during disruptions.
Patronage increases
| Station | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 | Patronage change 2022-23 to 2023-24 (percentage) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | 461,950 | 908% | New station |
| Chatham | 70,700 | 67% | |
| Glen Huntly | 205,300 | 64% | Reopened station |
| East Camberwell | 67,550 | 62% | |
| Blackburn | 452,550 | 58% | |
| Canterbury | 86,050 | 53% | |
| Bell | 122,600 | 47% | |
| Macaulay | 87,550 | 46% | |
| Wattle Glen | 9,300 | 45% | |
| Preston | 170,300 | 43% |
Union Station comes up as clear first on this metric as this is the first full year of its operation. But there are some interesting insights if we dig into the data a little bit more.
Chatham Station saw a significant increase of 67% as did Canterbury of 53%. I believe these are both due to the closure of Surrey Hills. The new Union Station that replaced both it and Mont Albert is a fair way further east from the old station on Union Road. This would have pushed some people – especially west of Union Road – to use Chatham instead. Others still may have gone to Canterbury, maybe the result of new habits formed during the period when Union Station was not yet open.
Glen Huntly Station is in third place after it reopened following level crossing removal works.
As for the others I’m not sure if there was any factor driving its patronage increase or if it was just natural growth – let me know in the comments if you have any ideas!
Other observations
- The combined patronage statistics of the new Union Station and Chatham Station for 2023-24 (532,650) don’t come close to the patronage figures for the now-closed Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Stations for 2018-19 (986,050). Although this was pre-COVID that is a larger difference than the general trend across the metropolitan network. However I will reserve final judgement until we get another full year of statistics in 2024-25.
- The least used station on the metropolitan network in 2023-24 was Baxter once again with 2,250, while on the electrified network it was still Wattle Glen – retaining its title with just 30,100 passengers.
- The busiest station on the metropolitan network in 2023-24 was still Flinders Street but Southern Cross continues to significantly outpace its growth by almost three times (8% compared to 28% respectively). This has been an ongoing trend.
- For the first time since 2019-20 we have a station with usage above 20 million (Flinders Street with 20.345 million passengers).
I will be doing separate posts diving into more detail on these and other observations soon.
Notes
As I’ve included in the spreadsheet itself it is important to note that DTP have changed their methodology several times over this period. This may result in minor differences.
Unfortunately DTP have removed the previous tram stop patronage dataset. I’m unsure why this has happened.
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