AN early morning V/Line service on Monday was forced to shut down after two carriages detached mid-journey, leaving 10 passengers stranded on the tracks while the driver continued on towards Melbourne unaware of the separation.
The incident occurred just before 6am near Tallarook. Thanks to an automatic braking system, the detached carriages came to a controlled stop. Passengers on board said they were only told what had happened after a conductor explained the situation. One passenger reported the carriage halted abruptly at about 5.50am, sparking confusion.
At Kilmore East, commuters waiting for the morning train were told by the station master that the service had “lost a carriage somewhere and they have to go back and find it.”
The safety scare forced the shutdown of both the Seymour and Shepparton lines. Replacement coaches were deployed between Seymour and Southern Cross, though passengers reported waits of more than an hour before buses arrived, with some journeys blowing out by up to two hours. Services between Shepparton and Seymour continued but with reduced capacity, causing delays across the network.
V/Line has not confirmed how the detachment occurred but said an investigation is underway. It is understood a system that should have automatically alerted the driver failed to activate. The driver later notified the V/Line operations centre once he became aware. The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator has been informed and will oversee the investigation.
The incident has drawn political criticism, with the Opposition accusing the government of failing to maintain safe and reliable regional rail. Shadow Minister for Public Transport Matthew Guy called it “a damning example of the Allan Labor Government’s mismanagement of the rail network.”
Euroa MP Annabelle Cleeland also condemned the failure, saying the disruption highlighted ongoing neglect of country passengers.
“Today’s shocking incident where a V/Line train reportedly lost a carriage near Tallarook is a damning example of the Allan Labor Government’s failure to deliver safe and reliable public transport for regional Victorians,” she said.
“Services on the Seymour and Shepparton lines have been shut down, leaving passengers stranded with lengthy delays, crowded coaches, and journeys blowing out by up to two hours. This is unacceptable.
“Regional commuters are already bracing for 55 days of bus replacements between September and November. To now add a safety failure where a train has physically detached a carriage underlines just how badly Labor has mismanaged our rail network.
“I am calling on the Minister to urgently investigate this incident and present a clear plan to restore confidence in our regional rail network. Regional Victorians deserve better than to keep paying the price for Labor’s failures.”
For now, V/Line has urged passengers to remain patient as investigations continue, but questions remain over how close Monday’s incident came to disaster, and whether commuters can continue to have confidence in the regional rail system.
