By Grace Frost
Inadequate seating, jam-packed platforms, limited services, and endless coach replacements form the crux of commuter concerns with V/Line trains that service the Mitchell Shire.
In light of recent fare caps and the shire’s booming population, commuters have dubbed the service similar to ‘what you see in places like New York City or Tokyo’.
Passenger counts on Victoria’s regional train services in the first quarter of this year increased 62 per cent from the same period in 2022, increasing from 2.8 million to nearly 4.6 million – and patronage is still yet to hit pre-COVID levels.
With Mitchell Shire a major growth corridor, commuters are calling for the State Government to address the issue in conjunction with V/Line and provide more carriages, seats and services.
“People shouldn’t have to stand up for 50 minutes on the train in an area [that’s been] designated as a growth area,” Broadford commuter Tanya Woods said.
Ms Woods, who commutes three days a week, said she was ‘constantly gobsmacked’ at V/Line’s ‘lack of insight’ into patronage demand.
She said her commute became ‘such a nightmare’ that she altered her employment contract to work two days from home.
“By the time you get to Wallan, people will be standing,” she said.
“After Wallan, you’ve got Donnybrook and Broadmeadows, and there are loads of people that get on there.”
Ms Woods said the 3.33pm after-school train from Southern Cross was also ‘a disaster’, with passengers usually standing as the two-carriage train departed.
“[One day in June] the train conductors actually had to stop people boarding the train – there were too many people,” she said.
Wallan’s Ronald Turner echoed Ms Woods’ concerns, and said he had to stand the entire journey from Wallan on a Saturday commute among footy fans, with some forced to sit in baggage areas.
Mr Turner, who used to commute from Ringwood, said getting used to V/Line’s lack of services proved ‘an adjustment’.
“One time, I was trying to catch a train home and I missed it by [about] two minutes, and the next one cancelled. I was in the city for an hour and a half waiting for the next train,” he said.
Only four services are scheduled to run the six-carriage VLocity trains towards Southern Cross on the Shepparton and Seymour lines daily, with three six-carriage services returning commuters home.
Some multi-carriage services, however, go mostly empty, with commuters calling for reallocation of the additional carriages.
In June, V/Line attributed limited carriages on the Seymour and Shepparton lines to numerous wildlife strikes.
“If you know that you’re going to have increased wildlife strikes, then have the carriage stock ready. If you don’t have enough rolling stock – build it,” Ms Woods said.
High-scores amid complaints
Despite complaints, V/Line claimed the reliability of its Seymour service sat at 99.2 per cent and punctuality at 91.8 per cent in June, and Shepparton at 99.6 and 92 per cent, respectively.
However, V/Line confirmed the reliability and punctuality scores did not include the number of services cancelled due to major works on the lines, which resulted in replacement coaches that can delay arrival time by up to 60 minutes.
V/Line categorises cancellations due to major works differently from day-to-day cancellations, as alerts are provided well in advance.
V/Line reported 59 cancelled services and almost 400 services late or unable to arrive at their destination on the Seymour line in the first half of this year – but did not include the hundreds of services where coaches replaced trains in March.
A V/Line spokesperson said the Shepparton Line Upgrade was well underway to provide more frequent and reliable services, as well as give communities more travel options.
Signalling design work is continuing with the third stage of the Shepparton Line Upgrade, which will enable nine daily return services between Shepparton and Melbourne.
“The upgrade has already enabled 10 extra weekly services on the Shepparton Line and modern VLocity trains to run on the line for the first time,” the spokesperson said.
“V/Line is continuing to closely monitor patronage and make adjustments from week-to-week across the network where we can, to improve passenger experience.”
Love how this week’s cover story reads as news when it’s just more of the same from the last 20 plus years. Sorry folks, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath for anything to change.
Depending on what time I get off work during the week, trains are usually crowded with limited carriages and seats, you’ve also got people who are selfish and leave their bags on seats, which means, that more people are standing for almost the whole journey, Depending on where they’re going, if there is a delay or cancellation of a service, it can also have a effect on other services on the line, when passengers ask for bags to be taken off seats, so that people can sit, they’re usually acknowledged with a death stare, there’s bag racks on vline services for a reason. with the new growth areas coming up between Donnybrook and Seymour, and possibly all the way down to Shepparton,we’re all hoping that something is done, so that more passengers can travel more often, Singapore has trains running every 1-5mins, I mean literally every 1-5mins.
Passengers are not allowed to board the train at Broadmeadows they re only allowed to exit the train