Here's a comprehensive summary of notable weekend changes between 1995 & 2000 that I wrote as a reply to a blog post, but I thought would be worth sharing elsewhere.

25 MARCH 1995

• Sunday service between Dandenong & Pakenham increased from 3 trains each way to every 80 minutes
  
• Dandenong - Cranbourne opens (40 min Saturday daytime, hourly evenings & 80 min Sunday service)

18 FEBRUARY 1996

• Daytime Sunday services to Alamein, Belgrave, Lilydale, Dandenong & Frankston increased from every 40 mins to every 30 minutes
  
• Daytime Sunday service beyond Dandenong increased from every 80 mins to every 60 mins

17 FEBURARY 1997

• Flagstaff no longer open on Saturdays
  
• Melbourne Central open until 18:45 Sundays with loop trains introduced on all lines
  
• Dayitme Sunday services to Glen Waverley increased from every 40 mins to every 30 mins

15 MARCH 1998

• Caulfield loop direction reversed on Saturdays (matching Sunday direction). Previously not possible to travel directly Richmond - loop stations on Saturdays.
  
• Sandringham loop trains introduced on Saturdays (it should be noted they didn't run via the loop prior to 1996 change)
  
• First timetable which stated the standised public holiday pattern (Saturday TT on all public holidays but Xmas Day and Good Friday (Sunday TT))

4 JULY 1999

• Sunday services between 11:00 & 19:00 increased to 20 mins on all lines (except beyond Dandenong -increased from 60 mins to 40 mins; & beyond Eltham - no change)
  
• Saturday services between 11:00 & 19:00 increased to 20 mins beyond Ringwood, previously a 40 min service (30 min Saturday evening & Sunday daytime service)
  
• Parliament now open until 18:45 Sundays

9 APRIL 2000

• 20 min Saturday service beyond Ringwood extended to commence at 07:00 instead of 10:00

19 NOVEMBER 2000

• Caulfield & Northern Groups Sunday evening service improved from 40 mins to 30 mins. Sandringham evening service doubled to 20 minutes
  
• Last service on Caulfield & Northern Groups extended to match Saturday finishing times
  
• Melbourne Central & Parliament now open until last train on Sundays, with all lines (Bayside & Connex) now offering evening loop services

Open to correction.

Kind Regards


Craig

Thanks Craig.  There was certainly a lot of weekend train service innovation and general timetable tidying-up in the late 1990s-2000 era.

The blog post referred to is here: http://melbourneontransit.blogspot.com/2011/05/melbourne-evening-train-service-levels.html  

It includes a graphical depiction of trends in weekday evening train service levels over 36 years. As it's a youtube video you can stop it anytime.

A similar graphic for weekday interpeak trains is here:  
http://melbourneontransit.blogspot.com/2011/05/melbourne-interpeak-train-service.html