The line that time forgot

MUCH has been said about the challenges faced when travelling on the Seymour V/Line service, but it seems one doesn’t really understand how dire the situation is until you get caught up in it yourself.

This was the case for a Wallan resident, who wished to remain anonymous, when they thought they were taking a routine Sunday train home from Melbourne. Instead, their June 8 journey on the 4:36pm service turned into what they described as a “third world” experience.

Overcrowded carriages, passengers sitting on floors and others left stranded in the cold at Broadmeadows Station were just some observations made.

The resident’s account, which they shared in a Letter to the Editor, highlighted growing concerns from regular travellers on the Seymour line, who say their safety is being ignored while attention and infrastructure dollars continue to funnel into Melbourne’s metropolitan upgrades.

On the day in question, the service was operated using two Sprinter carriages which allowed for a total capacity of around 180 seats. But according to the resident, the crowd waiting to board far exceeded that.

“By the time those who could board had done so, there were at least 20 people in each carriage forced to either stand or sit on the filthy floor,” they said.

“This was a third world service that was dangerous and unhealthy.”

The situation escalated at Broadmeadows, the key pickup point for airport-bound and returning passengers due to the SkyBus connection. Families, children in strollers, and elderly passengers waited on the platform, only to watch the overcrowded train continue without them.

“I have no idea how or at what time those poor people got home,” they said.

Causing much of the dismay for Mitchell residents is the fact Sprinter carriages are only now used on the Seymour service and struggling to keep up with the ever-growing corridor of Melbourne’s north.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Estimated Resident Population as of June 30, 2024, Mitchell Shire’s population was 56,384—marking a 4.97 per cent growth since June 30, 2023.

Current population estimates sees that number has already increased to 64,175, with Wallan, Kilmore and Beveridge home to about 40,000 of those.

What’s more frustrating for residents is, despite population growth and future estimates, it was the Ballarat, Ararat, Warrnambool and Bendigo lines that received 50 new or extended weekend services back in April.

Eight new weekend services were added to the Ballarat service, seeing trains run every 40 minutes on the weekend between 8am and 9pm while five Bendigo services increased its VLocity trains to six carriages from three.

For Mitchell Shire weekend commuters, particularly after events like football games, theatre shows, or family outings, the issue is compounded. Services in the late afternoon and early evening are frequently packed, but passengers say they rarely see extra capacity provided.

The State Government recently committed to increasing peak-hour services on the Seymour line, including one additional morning and afternoon peak service however, residents say more services without added capacity only exacerbate the problem.

Members of the Seymour Train-Line Action Group on Facebook regularly share their frustrations of lack of carriages.

A recent submission saw a member write, “I don’t know how many times we need to give them ‘feedback’ before they actually take action. We have been fighting for better services for about 10 years now”.

“We have sent photos and video of the overcrowding… I have lost track of how many complaints I have submitted to V/Line Complaints. Feel like we are forever going in circles.

“We get three to four carriages for a while then back to two which will never be enough now.”

Meanwhile on a recent call out on the North Central Review’s Facebook page saw a number of similar comments.

“Three car sprinters at multiple times during peak is disgraceful given that they collect enough data to show trains during peak are standing room only on the down line to Donnybrook. All this talk on the regional rail revival and we barely see the VLocity rolling stock,” one person wrote.

“Every morning, I see people hoping to get their feet in to the train let alone the opportunity to stand and sitting is very difficult. There are children and senior people who take this train, and I see them standing taking a commute for about 50 minutes,” another wrote.

“I believe this impacts peoples’ lives, behaviours and their relationship with the employer when the train is not on time and they are not able to reach office on time.”

V/Line services tracking

The Public Transport of Victoria (PTV) regularly posts its performance regarding punctuality—the percentage of on-time events at specific points, and reliability—the proportion of timetabled services the operator delivers. It does not however provide public feedback on commuters’ satisfaction rates.

In May, PTV said 88 per cent of V/Line services were punctual, down from its target of 92 per cent, while 97.4 per cent of services were reliable.

For commuters, the answer is clear: The Seymour line needs more carriages on peak services while the addition of other services wouldn’t go astray.

The North Central Review requested comment on a number of questions to V/Line and the Department of Transport and Planning however, responses were not received by the time of publishing.

You can read the Wallan resident’s Letter to the Editor on page 12.