Metlink
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the Melbourne public transport network. The same name is also used for public transport in WellingtonPublic transport in WellingtonPublic transport in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is well developed compared to other parts of the country. The system covers the Greater Wellington region, including Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa.-Administration:Public transport in...
.
Metlink, formerly The Met, is the marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
body and umbrella brand
Umbrella brand
An umbrella brand is an overarching brand used across multiple related products. Umbrella branding is also known as family branding. It contrasts with individual product branding, in which each product in a portfolio is given a unique brand name and identity....
for public train, tram and bus transport
Transport in Melbourne
Transport in Melbourne consists of extensive networks and a wide variety of transport services in the city of Melbourne, Australia, including:* The world's largest tram network.* Bus and coach services...
operators in Greater Melbourne, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Responsibilities
Metlink is responsible for the promotion of travel by public transport. It publishes timetables, maps and guides, operates the multi-modal website www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au, provides a journey planner, call centre, market research and data collection. Metlink also accepts and processes customer feedback, and tracks lost property.As well as re-branding the network, the Metlink initiative was intended to better integrate information about train, tram and bus transport in Melbourne, and therefore provide passengers with more information about connecting services.
During the re-privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of Melbourne's public transport system in April, 2004, the Metlink brand was transferred to a new company, Metlink Victoria Pty Ltd, whose role is also to perform several minor functions previously performed by the State Government and the franchise
Exclusive right
In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to perform the same action or to acquire the same benefit. A "prerogative" is in effect an exclusive right...
operators. Its ownership was then handed over to the two remaining major operators - Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams is the trading name of the Melbourne tram network, which is fully owned and registered by the Victorian State Government. The current franchise is operated by a consortium named KDR Melbourne which consists of a partnership between French company Keolis and Australian company Downer EDI...
and Metro Trains Melbourne
Metro Trains Melbourne
Metro Trains Melbourne is the current franchise operator of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture led by Hong Kong based MTR Corporation together with John Holland Group and United Group Rail .Metro Trains Melbourne operates a fleet of 381...
. While they do not have a controlling interest, representatives of the Bus Association of Victoria and V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
have input into Metlink.
Metlink also has responsibility for the Revenue Clearing House, the passenger information website (formerly Victrip), the 131 638 (131 MET) telephone service and the Met Shop.
Branding
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
for timetables, maps and other customer information, to complement the graphic design style of signage. The Metlink brand signage was implemented in 2003, with railway stations
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
stops throughout Melbourne converted to Metlink-branded signage, replacing the inconsistent signage previously used by the various (some now defunct) public transport operators.
Under the Metlink branding system, railway station signage and timetables are colour-coded Blue, tram stop signs and timetables are colour-coded Green, and the bus network is colour-coded Orange. Additionally, the regional train and coach network is colour-coded Purple.
Marketing
Metlink also acts as a marketing entity for public transport, and has released several TV advertisements. However, this is not an exclusive arrangement, as a separate set of TV advertisements was produced by former train operator ConnexConnex Melbourne
Connex Melbourne was a wholly owned subsidiary of French company Veolia Environnement, which had a franchise from the State Government of Victoria to operate all suburban passenger rail services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In August 2007, Connex's contract was extended to 30 November 2009....
(featuring Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
and a trainload of passengers singing her 1980 hit Morning Train (9 to 5)
9 to 5 (Sheena Easton song)
"9 to 5" is the title of a popular song written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit...
) during April and May 2004. In mid-2005 Connex launched another independent print & TV advertising campaign, this time focusing on its safety initiatives, and featuring Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
. In 2006, Connex launched a TV campaign Don't Hold Others Back
Don't Hold Others Back
Don't Hold Others Back is an advertisement created by Connex Melbourne to encourage courtesy on the Melbourne Rail Network by implying that delays to a train which causes delays on the network are caused by people holding the doors open for other people, standing near the doorway when there are...
focusing on encouraging courtesy on the Melbourne Rail Network.
Metlink has also been active in encouraging use of 'value Metcards' (pre-purchased multi-trip and periodical tickets) and is known for running a "humorous" campaign called BATBYGOBSTOPL (Buying A Ticket Before You Get On Board Saves Time Or Problems Later). In July 2007, Metlink launched a new campaign, "I Highly Recommend You Get on the Bus", featuring musical comedian Frank Woodley
Frank Woodley
Frank Woodley is an Australian comedian who is best known for his work alongside Colin Lane as part of the comedic duo, Lano and Woodley. The two performed together for almost 20 years in live shows, a television series and an album of comedic songs, before deciding to pursue individual careers...
, to promote improvements in bus services and more recently the "Take it Easy, Take the bus" campaign.
Viclink
Victoria's regional bus and rail services will at some future date be brought under a similar brand to Metlink named Viclink. Signage upgrades at regional railway stations have started from October 2006.Transport Integration Act
The prime transport-related statute in Victoria is the Transport Integration ActTransport Integration Act
The Transport Integration Act 2010 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the former Transport Act 1983....
. The Act establishes the Department of Transport
Department of Transport (Victoria, Australia)
The Department of Transport or DOT is the central Government agency responsible for the coordination, integration and regulation of the transport system in the State of Victoria, Australia...
as the integration agency for Victoria's transport system. The Act also establishes and sets the charters of the State agencies charged with providing public transport rail services and managing network access for freight services, namely the Director of Public Transport
Director of Public Transport
The Director of Public Transport is the Government agency responsible for promoting, providing, coordinating and regulating public transport in the State of Victoria, Australia...
and V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
. In addition, the Act establishes VicTrack
VicTrack
VicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....
which owns the public rail network and associated infrastructure. Another important statute is the Rail Management Act 1996 which confers powers on rail operators and provides for an access scheme for the state's rail network.
Rail Safety Act
The safety of rail transport operations in Melbourne is regulated by the Rail Safety Act 2006Rail Safety Act
The Rail Safety Act 2006 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the safety of rail operations in the State...
which applies to all commercial passenger operations. The Act establishes a framework containing safety duties for all rail industry participants and requires operators who manage infrastructure and rolling stock to obtain accreditation prior to commencing operations. Accredited operators are also required to have a safety management system
Safety Management Systems
Safety Management System is a term used to refer to a comprehensive business management system designed to manage occupational safety and health elements in the workplace.-Description of SMS:...
to guide their operations. Sanctions applying to the safety scheme established under the Rail Safety Act
Rail Safety Act
The Rail Safety Act 2006 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia and is the prime statute regulating the safety of rail operations in the State...
are contained in the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983
Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983
The 'Transport Act 1983' is a prime statute regulating transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia...
. The safety regulator for the rail system in Melbourne including trams is the Director, Transport Safety
Director, Transport Safety
The Director, Transport Safety is the independent Government agency responsible for rail, bus and marine safety in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the Transport Integration Act 2010...
(trading as Transport Safety Victoria) whose office is established under the Transport Integration Act 2010
Transport Integration Act
The Transport Integration Act 2010 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the former Transport Act 1983....
.
Ticketing and conduct
Ticketing requirements for trains, trams and buses in Melbourne are mainly contained in the Transport (Ticketing) Regulations 2006 and the Victorian Fares and Ticketing Manual. Rules about safe and fair conduct on trains, trams and buses in Melbourne are generally contained in the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983
The 'Transport Act 1983' is a prime statute regulating transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia...
and the Transport (Conduct) Regulations 2005.
See also
- Rail transport in VictoriaRail transport in VictoriaRail transport in Victoria, Australia, is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. Victorian lines use broad gauge, with the exception of a number of standard gauge freight and interstate lines, a few experimental narrow gauge lines, and...
- Railways in MelbourneRailways in MelbourneThe Melbourne rail network is operated by Metro Trains Melbourne under franchise from the Government of Victoria. The network is based on a commuter rail model centred on the Melbourne Central Business District and Flinders Street Station, rather than a rapid transit model, with a focus on...
- Trams in MelbourneTrams in MelbourneThe Melbourne tramway network is a major form of public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria, Australia. , the network consisted of of track, 487 trams, 28 routes, and 1,773 tram stops. It was therefore the largest urban tramway network in the world, ahead of the...
- Buses in MelbourneBuses in MelbourneBuses in Melbourne, Australia, are a major form of public transport in Melbourne, with an extensive bus network. The network of 323 bus routes is operated by a number of privately owned bus companies....
- Transport Legislation ReviewTransport Legislation ReviewThe Transport Legislation Review was a policy and legislation review project conducted by the Department of Transport in the State of Victoria, Australia between 2004 and 2010....
- Transport Integration ActTransport Integration ActThe Transport Integration Act 2010 is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the former Transport Act 1983....
- Director of Public TransportDirector of Public TransportThe Director of Public Transport is the Government agency responsible for promoting, providing, coordinating and regulating public transport in the State of Victoria, Australia...
- Director, Transport SafetyDirector, Transport SafetyThe Director, Transport Safety is the independent Government agency responsible for rail, bus and marine safety in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the Transport Integration Act 2010...
- Chief Investigator, Transport SafetyChief Investigator, Transport SafetyThe Chief Investigator, Transport Safety is the independent Government agency responsible for investigation of safety-related trends and incidents in the rail, bus and marine industries in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the Transport...
- Department of TransportDepartment of Transport (Victoria, Australia)The Department of Transport or DOT is the central Government agency responsible for the coordination, integration and regulation of the transport system in the State of Victoria, Australia...
- Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983The 'Transport Act 1983' is a prime statute regulating transport activities in the State of Victoria, Australia...
- SafetySafetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...