Whilst New South Wales is busy making sure people who go out at night only do so during limited hours, Victoria is in the process of enabling those who do go out have an affordable, safe, accessible way of getting home.

As part of the new Andrews Labor State Government‘s core election promises, Melbourne will begin a trial on 24-hour public transport in January of next year.

The Government today announced the costings of the experiment, which will set taxpayers back some $83.6 million for the duration of the 12 month trial. This figure is blown out from the original estimate of $50 million – a blowout which occurred because some absolute genius “forgot” to figure in the cost of hiring security for the late night operations.

The extra costs add to the $34.1 million required for Police and extra Protective Services Officers needed to cover the terminals – personnel who only be station at premium stops and stations along operational routes.

Under the proposed plans, late night trains would depart on all lines every 60 minutes from Flinders Street only, and would not travel through the City Loop.

Trams, on the other hand, will depart every 30 minutes, and would service only routes that run through tram-reliant major hubs: the 109 from Box Hill to Port Melbourne, the 86 from Bundoora RMIT to Docklands, the 96 from Brunswick East to St Kilda, the 75 from Docklands to Vermont South, the 19 from Coburg to Flinders St, and the 67 from Melbourne University to Carnegie.

The plan also extends to regional areas, with 2am busses scheduled to leave Southern Cross station, headed for Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Traralgon.

The State Opposition has blasted the Andrews Government for the blowout in budgetary figures, whilst the Public Transport Users Association has only given the trail “qualified” support.

The trial is due to begin on January 1, 2016.

Photo: Inga Rasmussen via Getty Images.

via The Age.