The introduction of armed protective services officers at train stations has provided only a modest rise to public confidence in the state's public transport system, with fewer Melburnians feeling safe on public transport at night last year than three years earlier.

Data from a survey conducted by the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency shows in 2012-13, 24.2 per cent of Victorians reported feeling safe or very safe on public transport at night. This was a small increase on the previous year, in which 23.7 per cent of Victorians said they felt safe. But the proportion of Victorians who said they felt safe on public transport at night in 2012-13 is significantly lower than the number who reported feeling safe in 2008-09 (27.9 per cent) or in 2009-10, (25.8 per cent), prior to the introduction of protective services officers.

Training: A new passenger safety survey raises questions about the value of Victoria's $212m protective services officers program. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The figures, to be published by the Productivity Commission on Wednesday, raise questions about the value that the $212 million program is providing to Victorian commuters, and follow the release of figures showing some crimes have become more common at train stations since the program began in February 2012.

The survey results show Victorians are on average less likely than other Australians to feel safe on public transport at night. Nationally, 26 per cent of people felt safe on public transport at night. Passengers in NSW, Queensland and the ACT were more likely to feel safe than Victorians, while those in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory were less likely to feel safe than Victorians.