Editing Cranbourne line (section)

=== Operators ===
The Cranbourne line has had a total of 5 operators since its reopening in 1995. The majority of operations throughout its history have been privately run.

The government-owned [[Public Transport Corporation]] and later [[Bayside Trains]] operated the line for a short 4 years till the 1999 privatisation of Melbourne's rail network.<ref>"Melbourne's Rail Network to be Split" ''[[Railway Digest]]'' November 1997 page 12</ref>

Bayside Trains was privatised in August 1999 and later rebranded [[M-Train|M>Train]]. In 2002, M>Train was placed into receivership and the state government regained ownership of the line, with [[KPMG]] appointed as receivers to operate M>Train on behalf of the state government.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2836793/National-Express-walks-out-of-Australian-rail-service.html National Express walks out of Australian rail service] ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' (London) 17 December 2002</ref><ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/23/1040511007915.html Receivers take over train, tram group] ''[[The Age]]'' 24 December 2002</ref><ref>[https://www.railexpress.com.au/victorian-passenger-services-get-new-managers/ Victorian passenger services get new managers] ''Rail Express'' 28 January 2003</ref> Two years later, rival train operator [[Connex Melbourne]] took over the M>Train operations including the Cranbourne line. [[Metro Trains Melbourne]], the current private operator, then took over the operations in 2009. The private operators have had a combined operational period of {{Age|1999|08|29}} years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Mex |date=25 June 2009 |title=New train, tram operators for Melbourne |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/new-train-tram-operators-for-melbourne-20090625-cxgx.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101122206/https://www.theage.com.au/national/new-train-tram-operators-for-melbourne-20090625-cxgx.html |archive-date=1 January 2023 |access-date=1 January 2023 |website=The Age}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Past and present operators of the Cranbourne line:
!Operator
!Assumed operations
!Ceased operations
!Length of operations
|-
|[[Public Transport Corporation]]
|1995
|1998
|3 years
|-
|[[Bayside Trains]] (government operator)
|1998
|1999
|1 years
|-
|[[M-Train|M>Train]]
|1999
|2004
|5 years
|-
|[[Connex Melbourne]]
|2004
|2009
|5 years
|-
|[[Metro Trains Melbourne]]
|2009
|''incumbent''
|{{Age|2009|11|30}} years (ongoing)
|}