by Luke Voogt
Forty-seven Geelong-Melbourne trains per week will run slower from 1 December under a new V/Line timetable, according to state opposition.
Shadow regional public transport minister Steph Ryan made the assertion after State Government announced the new timetable including an additional Saturday morning service.
“(Public Transport) Minister (Melissa Horne) has one job; to make the trains run on time,” the National MP said.
“But her solution is to slow down the timetable rather than fix the trains.
“Country train passengers are already enduring constant delays and cancellations and long trips on old, unreliable and uncomfortable rolling stock. It’s set to get even worse.”
But the changes resulted from the opening of Cobblebank station on the Ballarat line, according to a State Government spokesperson.
“Opening a brand-new station requires some timetable changes – something the Liberal-Nationals wouldn’t understand given cutting service and closing regional train lines is in their DNA,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re adding new services and the Geelong line upgrade will lead to more frequent and reliable services.
“The changes to the timetable will help locals better plan their trips as the government continues to add more services to the line.”
The Ballarat and Geelong lines sharing a track from Melbourne to Deer Park was the cause the delays, explained Public Transport Users Association Geelong convener Paul Westcott.
But the changes would only cause the trains to run a few minutes slower and affect six per cent of about 730 weekly services on the Geelong line, Mr Westcott said.
And the new timetables would more accurately reflect what existing trains could “actually achieve”, he said.
“No one wants to see trains running slower. But the journey was already slower by a few minutes – it just wasn’t meeting the schedule.
“I think people prefer trains that run according to schedule rather than trains running to a schedule that they cannot meet.
“It makes it a lot easier to plan and manage your journey.”
Mr Westcott welcomed the extra Saturday service and extra weekend buses to the Bellarine Peninsula as “overdue”.
Geelong MP Christine Couzens earlier this month announced V/Line would permanently add the extra train, which it had previously run only as a special event service.
The service will depart Geelong at 10.16am stopping all stations except Ardeer and arrive at Southern Cross at 11.20am.
“An extra Saturday service will be welcomed by Geelong passengers – who head into Melbourne for the weekend to visit family and friends,” Ms Couzens said.
She also announced extra weekend buses for Bellarine Peninsula routes 55, 56, 60 and 61 to Geelong Station.
