By Grace Frost
V/Line users and members of parliament have questioned parity within the public transport system after being left inconvenienced by rail works for the better part of school holidays, yet still expected to pay full fares on buses.
Due to Victoria’s Big Build works, coaches replaced some Seymour line trains in the evenings from June 20 to July 9, leaving commuters to travel by coach.
But Liberal Member for Northern Metropolitan Evan Mulholland said the issue of service disruptions exceeded the inconvenience of bus replacements, with commuters allegedly being put at further disadvantage compared to their metro-counterparts.
He said commuters in the north were charged a full fare to board replacement bus services, differing from commuters on metropolitan train lines, who he alleged received free travel when moved to buses.
“[Commuters] would not have to pay if they were going to Craigieburn, so why are our growth suburb residents just a few kilometres north [of the metropolitan network] still being charged full fares?” Mr Mulholland said.
“The government says that they have capped V/Line prices to be the same as metro fares, so why are suburbs like Wallan and Kilmore paying for replacement buses when the rest of Melbourne does not?”
Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland echoed Mr Mulholland’s concerns.
“If the government was serious about capping fares for regional Victorians to be the same as a metro service, they would make these replacement buses free like they are for metro commuters,” she said.
But the Department of Transport and Planning policy countered the MPs’ claims, maintaining that for both regional and metro passengers, it is a requirement to travel with a valid ticket, even if part or all of that service is impacted by a disruption.
Free replacement buses are not a policy for either metro or regional areas.
Lingering concerns
The complaints follow multiple disruptions to the Seymour and Shepparton lines this year, including suspension of trains for three weeks in March.
Commuters have also experienced myki fares increase in line with the consumer price index, CPI, this month, costing for a full fare and for concession after being capped at .20 and $4.60 respectively just three months earlier.
And while V/Line schedules six-carriage trains to service Shepparton and Seymour lines when operational during peak times, commuters have often had fewer carriages arrive to the platform, which V/Line attributed to to a high number of wildlife strikes involving sprinter trains.
Ms Cleeland said the issue of replacement buses was merely ‘another in a long line of improvements needed’ to the V/Line network.
“Since fares were reduced, we are seeing significantly increased traffic across our regional network – resulting in crowded and uncomfortable services on our trains and coaches,” she said.
Public Transport Users Association, PTUA, spokesperson Ben Lever suggested V/Line invested in more rolling stock to advance the system, ensuring spare carriages could be available at short notice.
“This requires the government to invest more into V/Line, to purchase that rolling stock and build that maintenance capacity, because ultimately the responsibility for having a reliable and resilient railway lies with the government,” Mr Lever said.
As of June 23, V/Line reported sprinter train availability had returned to normal levels.
V/Line said the Shepparton line upgrade, which closed the line in recent weeks, would deliver more frequent and reliable services and enable nine daily return services between Shepparton and Melbourne each weekday.
The train service stated it always tried to minimise disruption to passengers and, where possible, carry out works during quieter periods on the network.
“We thank passengers for their patience while vital works are underway to upgrade and maintain the Shepparton line,” a V/Line spokesperson said.
“These improvements will give passengers more travel choices by almost doubling the number of services between Shepparton and Melbourne each weekday.”
Stage two and three of the Shepparton line upgrade remain underway.
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