Upper House member Bev McArthur said Warrnambool trains were continuing to pick up passengers from Melbourne train stations located in hot spots with close to 200 active COVID-19 cases.

"If regional Victorians need to travel to Melbourne for essential reasons, we need to ensure that their risk of exposure to people from highly-infected areas is minimised," she said.

"Dedicated carriages for passengers boarding outside of the stage three restricted areas would be an effective solution to try to minimise intermingling of passengers.

"Alternatively, direct trains that run express through suburbs that are highly contaminated could be a good way to get regional Victorians in and out of the city with minimal contact with people from high risk areas."

But Premier Daniel Andrews said dedicated carriages could be "challenging".

"If we say 'alright this is a train only for country people', you'll have to wait until there's nobody from regional Victoria before you can get on, it would get a little bit challenging I think," he told The Standard.

"None of this is simple but something that is simple and powerful is potentially putting that mask on if you've got to come from the south-west coast into Melbourne. Wearing that mask can make a really big difference."

Mr Andrews said patronage on public transport was "a fraction of the normal rate" during the pandemic and that passengers should only be travelling for essential reasons.

"If work couldn't be done from home and could only be done in Warrnambool or Portland or anywhere along the south-west coast then you would be able to travel," he said.

"You shouldn't be attending work if you've got symptoms though, certainly daily exercise and a day trip are not the same thing, so nobody should be coming to Warrnambool to get their exercise."

Mr Andrews said he would would ask Victoria Police about their enforcement of stage three restrictions at Melbourne's Southern Cross train station.

"I know they are out and about across the whole state enforcing the rules," he said.