A strong start at Parkville

Our newest service hub at Parkville Station is already making more journeys possible for people navigating Melbourne’s busy medical precinct.

After opening during Metro Tunnel’s Summer Start period, our team assisted 203 people between December and January with a steady increase each week. Full operations and extended hours are now underway (as of 2 February), and we are already seeing that Parkville Station is a location where our support can have a significant impact.

These early and increasing numbers speak to something we see every day: there is a real need for connection assistance in Parkville, where long walking distances, multiple hospital entries and a busy station environment can be challenging for many travellers. Our team, led by Operations Manager, Maria and Site Supervisor, Joel, is already becoming a familiar and welcome part of the precinct.

The Parkville Station hub expands Travellers Aid’s long-standing work at Southern Cross and Flinders Street stations, helping people:

• Travel independently
• Access essential medical appointments
• Stay connected with their communities
• Feel confident moving through busy transport hubs

A key focus of this new service has been establishing strong relationships with the people and organisations who know this precinct best.

We’ve built a close working relationship with the Metro Trains team at Parkville Station, who have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. Their enthusiasm for having our service onsite has helped create a seamless experience for passengers who need extra support.

We’ve also established a project reference group to guide the 25‑month trial. This group includes representatives from local hospitals, Metro Trains Melbourne staff, and consumer voices, ensuring that community experience guides us on delivering practical solutions that will make these journeys easier and more accessible to everyone. This reference group has proven to be an invaluable strategy for the success of the program.

Not all journeys are part of a daily commute or visit to Melbourne for the footy. Many of the people we support are on the network to get to vital medical appointments, either for themselves or a loved one. These journeys can be stressful, even before we consider any barriers to access or mobility challenges. Our team is a friendly face offering practical assistance to make these visits to the precinct less physically and emotionally demanding. 

These comments capture exactly why Travellers Aid exists, to provide the right help at the right moment, delivered with dignity, respect and kindness.

“Joel was very kind, polite and helpful. I really appreciate his help with the wheelchair… such a great help for people like me with knee problems.”

“Very pleasant and courteous assistants. The walking distances from the new train platforms are a challenge for me—this service is so useful.”

“I got the wheelchair service for my mum and Reggie assisted us getting to the station and back to the hospital. Thank you so much, Reggie. What a fantastic service.”

From one of the hospitals:
“One of our volunteers met your team this morning and was so impressed with the service. She said they were lovely and helpful, and even though she didn’t need assistance, she was touched by the care offered.”

“What fantastic service. I had been in Melb hospital and decided to take Parkville train to city. I was dizzy when a very nice young man approached me to see if I needed help with wheelchair or anything else. I told him i felt a bit disoriented and appreciated if he could show me where I was going. He assisted me to the platform and waited with me for the train. His name is Joel and whilst waiting we had a very interesting and engaging chat. This was an excellent and calming distraction for me following hours in hospital. I cannot express how comforting it was to have such a good interactive listener who was genuinely sincere and caring. I commend Joel’s contribution in helping people, his initiative and willingness to help. I have never spoken to anyone from Travellers Aid before and was pleasantly surprised to meet someone like Joel. Keep up with the great work.”

We value the support of the Victorian Government and our partnership with Metro Trains Melbourne to deliver the Connection Assistance Service at Parkville Station and for the trust placed in us by hospitals, volunteers and the people we support.