The new Victorian train network map. Photo: Public Transport Victoria.
Melbourne's train network is getting an international upgrade, or at least its map is. You can view it in full here.
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How to get to work faster
The future productivity and quality of life in Australia's big cities will hinge on the efficiency of our transport networks.
The old design has been thrown out and replaced with a multicoloured graphic reminiscent of the tube maps for the London underground and New York subway.
The original map  used yellow and blue to distinguish the two travel zones – a feature that has been increasingly less useful for Melburnians since recent changes to the fare system.
It was also criticised for being too hard for visitors to understand .
The new map designed by Public Transport Victoria and unveiled on Thursday by Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, marks the lines with multiple colours.
There is red for the South Morang and Hurstbridge line, yellow for Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield, navy blue for Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein and Glen Waverley, baby blue for Pakenham and Cranbourne, green for Frankston Werribee and Williamstown and pink for Sandringham.
Ms Allan said the "simple change" would make it quicker and easier for people to find their way around Melbourne and Victoria.
"By showing at a glance which lines are which when they leave the loop, passengers will be able to see when they can stay on a train to connect to a new line," she said.
The line colours were carefully chosen to be distinguishable by people with the two most common type of red-green colour blindness.
Other new and interesting features include a skinny grey line marking the SkyBus route from Southern Cross Station.
The Flemington Racecourse and Showgrounds lines are also marked in grey, to represent their seasonal operation.
There is a grid linked to an alphabetical index of stations. And regional services have been included on the map for the first time, with V/Line routes marked in purple.
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said this was one element of the new design that could potentially prove confusing to outsiders.
"I think it is going to be important for the foreseeable future to maintain a clear distinction between the metropolitan and regional lines, as you can't use regional trains to commute between two suburban stations generally," he said.
Mr Morton said the new map would be much more useful to show people where different lines travelled, even though its geographically depiction of Melbourne and Victoria was still far from accurate.
"It is really true of all public transport maps that geographical accuracy is less important than allowing you to find your way, which is the ultimate purpose," he said.
The new map will be added to when new lines open, including the three stations planned for the Mernda rail extension and the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel, due to be operational by 2026.
The new design of the Victoria train network will be progressively rolled out to metropolitan trains and stations from Sunday.