Trains running ... but late

V/Line regularly hits reliability targets, flunks punctuality test again Passenger problems disrupt services

V/LINE has again failed its own punctuality target — running too many services late for the 37th time in the past 40 months.

One in every six trains along the line was more than six minutes late in December, latest statistics show.

The 84.5 per cent result was a drop of almost 5 per cent compared to November, well under V/Line’s 92 per cent punctuality target, which allows trains to run up to six minutes late and be considered on time.

It was the second-worst punctuality result in the past 12 months.

V/Line chief executive James Pinder said the Decem- UNRULY passengers disrupted services along the regional rail network’s busiest line yesterday morning.

At least one train on the Geelong line was cancelled, while another service was partially replaced by buses following issues with unruly passengers.

V/Line issued an alert about 7.30am that the 7am Southern Cross to Warrnambool service was ber delays were primarily due to how long trains had to stop at stations to allow passengers on and off. delayed about 20 minutes due to an unruly passenger on board the service before it had departed Melbourne.

Then, a 7.32am Warrnambool to Melbourne service skipped Marshall station due to the unruly passengers on the previous service causing the trains to run late.

A 7.50am Southern Cross Melbourne to Waurn Ponds service was delayed, and then terminated at

“Our services proved to be popular during the busy holiday period and a lot more people used our trains to visit Sunshine due to unruly passengers on board at Footscray, which caused the 9.16am service from Waurn Ponds to the City to be cancelled. The 8.51am Waurn Ponds to city service was also replaced by buses between Waurn Ponds and Geelong.

Details of the unruly passengers are not yet known. V/Line had not returned calls at time of going to print. family and friends and to get to and from holiday festivities,” Mr Pinder said.

“This meant there were in- stances where trains had to stop for longer than scheduled to accommodate the extra passengers using the services.”

Trespassers on the tracks, unruly passengers and train faults also caused delays along the rail line last month.

Mr Pinder said more than 660,000 passenger trips were taken in December.

While the regional network’s busiest line continues to struggle to hit punctuality targets, it did hit its reliability target of 96 per cent of scheduled services running.

Only 2.3 per cent of scheduled services did not run on the line in December — meaning the Geelong Line has now hit its reliability target for 11 months in a row.

“Last month’s reliability results remain high, and it’s pleasing that passengers are continuing to experience a service they can rely on,” Mr Pinder said.

The results come just days after two trains came within a kilometre of a head-on collision in Geelong’s south.

The near collision occurred on the single-line section of track between Marshall and South Geelong, after an empty passenger train travelling from Waurn Ponds to Geelong passed two stop signals at Marshall without authority.

The Geelong line is set to be upgraded as part of a $1.57 billion Regional Rail Revival, which will be funded by both the Federal and State Governments.

It will include a $110 million investment for the Waurn Ponds Duplication project.