V/Line fares & tickets
V/Line is the leading provider of rail and road coach services in regional Victoria, with train services operating to the regional cities of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Seymour and Traralgon and serving other regional centres including Ararat, Echuca, Swan Hill, Albury/Wodonga, Sale, Bairnsdale, Warrnambool and Shepparton. V/Line road coaches connect with many rail services at major stations to provide an integrated and coordinated public transport service across Victoria.
V/Line tickets
V/Line’s ticketing system operates on regional train and coach services as well as giving access to metropolitan trains, trams and buses and local bus services in some regional cities. Tickets are either machine-printed or hand-written by staff.
→ Choosing the right ticket
→ Peak/Off-Peak ticket conditions
→ Ticket types:
→ Interstate travel
→ First class travel
→ Calculating your fare
→ Where to buy V/Line tickets
→ Rail upgrades in North-East Victoria
Choosing the right ticket
V/Line tickets can be used on any V/Line train or coach service operating between the origin and destination printed on the ticket. A reservation is compulsory on all long distance services.
V/Line ticket holders with Single and Off-Peak Single tickets to/from Melbourne or to/from some regional city stations have one hour of included travel before or after their journey in the metropolitan zone(s) or regional city network printed on their ticket. Customers must get their tickets endorsed for included travel at the Customer Service Centre of a Connex Premium Station or at a staffed V/Line station.
V/Line ticket holders with Day Return, Off-Peak Day Return, Weekly, Monthly, Date-to-Date and Yearly tickets to/from Melbourne or to/from some regional city stations have included all day travel before or after their V/Line journey within the zone(s) or regional city network printed on their ticket.
Codes printed on V/Line tickets denote the included metropolitan zones or regional city bus networks as follows:
Z1+2 = Metcard Zone 1+2;
Z2 = Metcard Zone 2;
BTS = Ballarat Transit Service, Bendigo Transit;
GTS = Geelong Transit; and
T/Bus = Town Bus (in Moe, Morwell or Traralgon).
Peak/Off-Peak ticket conditions
Passengers with Off-Peak Single and Off-Peak Day Return tickets may not travel on weekday services scheduled to arrive in Melbourne (Southern Cross (Spencer Street), Flinders Street, Richmond or North Melbourne) before 9am, or services scheduled to depart Melbourne between 4pm and 6pm.
Concession Off-Peak Single and Concession Off-Peak Day Return tickets are not valid for travel on weekends. Concession passengers may purchase Concession Single or Concession Day Return tickets on weekends.
Full Fare Off-Peak Single and Full Fare Off-Peak Day Return tickets are valid (without time restrictions) on weekends.
On Public Holidays*, Full Fare and Concession Off-Peak tickets are available without time restrictions.
Customers holding an Off-Peak ticket travelling on a Peak service must purchase an “Off-Peak to Peak Upgrade — Single Trip”.
*Public Holidays
For the purpose of ticket conditions, listed Public Holidays for 2009 are:
- Thursday 1 January (New Year’s Day)
- Monday 26 January (Australia Day)
- Monday 9 March (Labour Day)
- Friday 10 April (Good Friday)
- Saturday 11 April (Easter Saturday)
- Monday 13 April (Easter Monday)
- Saturday 25 April (ANZAC Day)
- Monday 8 June (Queens Birthday)
- Tuesday 3 November (Melbourne Cup Day - Metropolitan Melbourne only)
- Friday 25 December (Christmas Day)
- Saturday 26 December and
- Monday 28 December (Boxing Day)
Single
Single
Allows one trip from the origin to the destination on the date printed on the ticket (until 3am the following day). No stopovers are permitted.
Off-Peak Single
Allows one trip from the origin to the destination on the date printed on the ticket on off-peak services,(until 3am the following day). No stopovers are permitted.
Concession Off-Peak Single tickets are not available on weekends.
Day Return
Allows unlimited travel between the origin and destination on the date printed on the ticket (until 3am the following day). For return travel on different days, purchase two Single tickets.
Off-Peak Day Return
Allows unlimited travel between the origin and destination on the date printed on the ticket on off-peak services (until 3am the following day). For return travel on different days, purchase two Off-Peak Single tickets.
Concession Off-Peak Day Return tickets are not available on weekends.
Weekly
Weekly tickets allow unlimited travel between the origin and destination printed on the ticket, for seven consecutive days.
The ticket expires seven days from the start date printed on the ticket. For example, a ticket valid from Tuesday will expire at the end of services for the following Monday (3am on Tuesday). A weekly ticket used between midnight and 3am must be valid for the previous day.
Monthly
Monthly tickets allow unlimited travel between the origin and destination printed on the ticket, for a month.
The ticket expires one month from the start date printed on the ticket. For example, a ticket valid for travel from 15 June will expire at the end of services for 14 July (3am on 15 July). A ticket first valid for travel on 30 or 31 January or on 1 February will expire on 29 February in a leap year, or on 28 February otherwise. A monthly ticket used between midnight and 3am must be valid for the previous day.
Date-to-Date
Date-to-Date tickets allow unlimited travel between the origin and destination printed on the ticket, for the number of weeks nominated by the passenger. The passenger may purchase tickets for the following durations:
- 10 to 52 weeks (Full Fare/Concession)
- 10 to 52 weeks (Student)
The price of the ticket is the Date-to-Date weekly rate multiplied by the number of weeks required. A date-to-date ticket used between midnight and 3am must be valid for the previous day. The ticket expires at 3am on the day following the expiration date on the ticket.
Yearly
Fares from nine V/Line rail stations (Little River, Donnybrook, Wallan, Lara, Bacchus Marsh, Clarkefield, Riddells Creek, Heathcote Junction and Wandong) and three V/Line coach stops (Tooradin, Kinglake West and Five Ways) to Melbourne are aligned with metropolitan fares. This has been done in preparation for the inclusion of these locations within Zone 2 when the new ticketing solution for Victoria is implemented.
The V/Line Yearly Ticket allows unlimited travel between one of the above locations and Zone 1 until the expiry date printed on the ticket. The ticket expires at 3am on the day following the expiry date on the ticket. First class and concession V/Line Yearly tickets are not available. The ticket costs $1808.00.
Family Traveller
The Family Traveller ticket allows adults to take up to two children (aged 16 years and under) free during off-peak times. For all other times, one child can travel free and one child needs to have a valid ticket.
Family Traveller ticket conditions:
- only available when at least one child (aged 16 years and under) is accompanied by a fare paying adult (a person aged 17 years or older)
- allows a maximum of two children per adult
- concession fares will apply for additional children
- standard fares (peak or off peak, full fare or concession) will apply for additional adults or children [if more than two children per adult]
- all passengers must travel together for the duration of the journey
- available for travel to/from all V/Line locations excluding travel to/from Melbourne and Zone B locations. Please note, the Family Traveller ticket is not valid for use on the Mansfield - Mount Buller V/Line coach service.
Other conditions apply. For more information call 136 196.
V/Line group travel
A V/Line Group Travel voucher allows a group of 12 or more people to travel together at a reduced rate. All members of the group must travel together at all times, boarding and alighting at the same locations. Group travel discounts are available for Single, Day Return, Off-Peak Single, and Off-Peak Day Return tickets. The fare charged for the group is the concession fare of the selected ticket type multiplied by the number of passengers. The conditions applicable to the voucher are the same as those for the selected ticket type.
Group travel must be arranged at least seven days in advance by telephoning (03) 9619 2338. Groups may not be able to be accommodated on some services at times of peak demand.
Interstate travel
Interstate travel via Link Services accepts all V/Line tickets and falls under the same V/Line fares as Victorian services. This means that if you are planning to travel interstate, you will benefit from the 20% fare reduction.
Reservations are compulsory on all Link services and the overnight Mildura coach service. Reservations can be made up to three months in advance for all Link coach and Mildura coach services.
- Canberra Link – Canberra via Albury
- Capital Link – Canberra via Bairnsdale
- Daylink – Melbourne to Adelaide via Bendigo
- Sapphire Coast Link – Melbourne to Batemans Bay via Bairnsdale
- Speedlink – Sydney to Adelaide via Albury
- Murray Link – Mildura to Albury
First class travel
V/Line provides First class seating on selected rail services (see timetable for details), particularly on long distance services. First class seating is not available on coaches.
It is compulsory for customers to reserve First class seating on all long distance services that travel to and from Bairnsdale, Albury/Wodonga, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Echuca, Ararat and Warrnambool.
Reserving First class
Customers can reserve First class seats by booking in advance through V/Line stations, V/Line agents and selected Connex Premium stations, or through V/Line’s Call Centre on 136 196.
Bookings on long distance services are opened 100 days in advance of the day of travel. Customers can book any time from this period right up to the time of departure. However, advance booking is encouraged to ensure a First class seat.
First class fares
The First class fare is based on an Economy fare and a First class upgrade fee.
One ticket generally includes the Economy fare and the First class upgrade. First class tickets may be purchased wherever V/Line tickets are sold.
It is important that customer pays for First class fare before boarding. The upgrade can be bought along with the Economy ticket, or separately before travel. Conductors will only sell First class upgrades to customers boarding at unstaffed stations.
Calculating your fare
You can visit V/Line's website and calculate your fare online using V/Line's fare calculator (will open in a new window).
NB: Please read the general background information at: vline.com.au before calculating your fare.
Where to buy V/Line tickets
Passengers can purchase V/Line tickets from:
- Staffed V/Line stations
- V/Line ticket agents
- Selected metropolitan Premium Stations
- By telephoning 136 196
V/Line customers must have a valid ticket before boarding a V/Line train. It is an offence to travel without a valid ticket and passengers who do so risk being fined.
If a customer boards at an unstaffed V/Line station or from a roadside coach stop, they may purchase a ticket from the train conductor or coach driver. V/Line tickets may be checked before, during or after the journey.
Passengers who travel on metropolitan or regional services to connect with a V/Line service and are unable to purchase their V/Line ticket at the origin of their journey must purchase or possess a valid ticket before travelling.
Rail upgrades in North-East Victoria
Coaches are replacing train services between Albury / Wodonga and Seymour due to major upgrades in North-East Victoria. The upgrades began in November 2008 and are likely to be completed by 2010. For more information, view Major rail project for North-East Victoria: from 9 November 2008 - until further notice
