Best Melbourne Suburbs for Public Transport — 2026

Ranked by: train frequency, tram/bus options, time to CBD, weekend service quality.

Top 25 Suburbs for Public Transport

Rank	Suburb	Train (min to CBD)	Frequency (peak)	Tram?	Score /10
1	Richmond	5	Every 3 min	Yes (3 lines)	9.8
2	South Yarra	5	Every 3 min	Yes (1 line)	9.6
3	Fitzroy	Tram only	Every 4 min	Yes (3 lines)	9.5
4	Collingwood	8	Every 5 min	Yes (2 lines)	9.3
5	North Melbourne	4	Every 4 min	Yes (1 line)	9.2
6	Carlton	Tram only	Every 5 min	Yes (3 lines)	9.1
7	Footscray	10	Every 5 min	No	9.0
8	Prahran	8	Every 5 min	Yes (1 line)	8.9
9	Brunswick	Tram 18 min	Every 4 min	Yes (2 lines)	8.8
10	Kensington	8	Every 6 min	No	8.5
11	South Melbourne	Tram only	Every 5 min	Yes (2 lines)	8.4
12	Windsor	8	Every 5 min	Yes (1 line)	8.3
13	Hawthorn	10	Every 5 min	Yes (1 line)	8.2
14	Preston	20	Every 7 min	Yes (1 line)	8.0
15	Northcote	15	Every 7 min	No	7.8
16	Essendon	18	Every 8 min	No	7.5
17	Moonee Ponds	15	Every 7 min	No	7.6
18	Coburg	22	Every 8 min	Yes (terminus)	7.4
19	St Kilda	Tram 25 min	Every 5 min	Yes (2 lines)	7.8
20	Newport	15	Every 8 min	No	7.2
21	Yarraville	15	Every 10 min	No	7.0
22	Box Hill	22	Every 6 min	Yes (1 line)	7.5
23	Sunshine	18	Every 8 min	No	7.1
24	Carnegie	20	Every 7 min	No	7.0
25	Camberwell	15	Every 6 min	No	7.3

The Metro Tunnel has transformed commute times for western and northern suburbs:

Station	Old Time to CBD	New Time	Saving
Arden (North Melbourne)	N/A (new)	3 min	New station
Parkville (Melbourne Uni)	N/A (new)	4 min	New station
State Library	5 min	2 min	3 min
Town Hall	6 min	3 min	3 min
Anzac (St Kilda Rd)	N/A (new)	4 min	New station
Sunshine	22 min	18 min	4 min
Footscray	14 min	10 min	4 min

Suburb	Issue	Time to CBD	Score /10
Doncaster	No train line	Bus 45 min	3.2
Rowville	No train	Bus 50 min	2.8
Templestowe	No train	Bus 40 min	3.5
Eltham	Infrequent train	45 min	4.1
Point Cook	No train	Bus 55 min	2.5
Werribee	Infrequent	35 min	4.8

Data based on PTV timetables effective March 2026. Journey times are station-to-Flinders Street.