Trains must use their horns at all hours for safety reasons, the Victorian Government has said in response to complaints about noise from Melbourne residents living near tracks, as a 24-hour public transport trial begins.

A 12-month trial of 24-hour train services in Melbourne on the weekends has begun, but people living near tracks have complained that they are being kept awake by tooting horns.

A pamphlet has been distributed to homes in Northcote saying trains will be "blaring horns" up to five times every 30 minutes during the trial, and urging residents to contact the State Government if they "value weekend sleep".

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the trial would take on board the concerns raised by residents near train lines.

"It's a trial over the 12 months of 2016 and issues that have been identified around noise will need to be addressed through the trial," she said.

"I should note that trains already do run at all hours of the day and night - freight trains run through the night, and on a regular timetable trains run into the early morning.

"So this is not necessarily a new issue, but it's one that we can continue to pick up and evaluate as part of the night network trial."

But she said train drivers adhered to national standards and had to use their horns for safety reasons.

"There are really strong and stringent safety requirements around the use of train horns," she said.

"They're not just used willy-nilly; they're used for really strict safety reasons and safety guidelines and that needs to be considered.

"It's important to make sure that people in and around train stations, and along train lines, are aware of a moving train - you'd be amazed at the number of incidents and near misses that happen."

Train horns a 'health issue': Northcote resident

Northcote resident Harry Blutstein, who organised the petition, said he wrote to the Government in June, and only got a phone call in response last week.

Victoria's 24-hour public transport Trains leave Flinders Street Station every hour

Trains leave Flinders Street Station every hour Trams operate every 30 minutes on routes 19, 67, 75, 86, 96 and 109

Trams operate every 30 minutes on routes 19, 67, 75, 86, 96 and 109 V/Line coaches depart from Southern Cross Station at 2:00am for Bendigo, Ballarat, Traralgon and Geelong

"They said they'll have a consultation afterwards and they'll get feedback, so for the next 12 months, we've basically got to take it, and then we complain, which is crazy," he said.

Mr Blutstein said the horns were a health and safety issue.

"If you speak to Public Transport Victoria they say it's a safety issue and we don't compromise on safety, in a way I don't argue with that but it's also a health issue. If you're not sleeping, that's affecting your health," he said.

"If you're a truck driver or you're working machinery and you're turning up at work tired, that's dangerous, so health and safety isn't just warning cars, there are other implications."

He said he was a regular user of the train and supported the Government's move to expand the service.

"[We] do live next do a train line, and I accept that, that's why we live here because we use the trains all the time, and I'm certainly not critical of the Government expanding the service.

Melbourne trains are departing every hour from Flinders Street station under the 24-hour public transport trial. ( ABC News: Giulio Saggin )

"My argument is there's most probably an overuse of the horn. The rules that the train drivers follow are very, very old rules, and public transport Victoria are just not interested in reviewing them ... to try to reduce the impact."

He called on PTV to introduce quiet zones similar to those used in the United States.

But Public Transport Victoria's Jeroen Weimar said the zones were unsuitable for Melbourne.

"We are looking at international experience and looking at options we can deploy in Melbourne, [but] we have to recognise that Melbourne has a very open railway system," he said.

"There are a lot of crossings, a lot of unguarded crossings and unfortunately we do see people trespassing a long the railway lines, particularly at night, so we do need to have some way for drivers to warn people that they're coming."