Heat on V/Line punctuality

V/LINE boss James Pinder has conceded punctuality on the Geelong line needs to improve.

The acknowledgment comes as up to 600 WorkSafe staff prepare to board trains in Melbourne on Monday bound for Geelong and the regulator’s newly opened headquarters.

Punctuality on the line, which is the regional network’s busiest, remains poor as V/ Line has failed to meet its monthly target in most months since mid-2015.

And network constraints mean more peak-hour services cannot be added on some sections of the line.

Seven trains, with about 440 seats each, depart Southern Cross station on weekday mornings to arrive in Geelong before 9am, and four arrive between 8am and 9am.

Mr Pinder said punctuality during the morning commute on the Melbourne to Geelong sector was above set targets.

“Morning peak punctuality for trains heading from Melbourne to Geelong averages above 92 per cent and we want to improve that further,” he said.

“V/Line has sufficient capacity in its existing fleet to meet the extra demand for seats on trains from Melbourne to Geelong in the morning peak.

“Trains run at least every 20-23 minutes after 6am from Melbourne to Geelong on weekdays.

“We know we can achieve better punctuality targets on the Geelong line (as a whole) and V/Line has a strategic plan to lift performance to a level that our passengers deserve and expect.”

Its data shows about 664,000 trips were taken on the Geelong line in June, adding to 7,616,471 taken in 2016-17.

Government spokeswoman Hayley Bester said: “We will continue to work with the new chair of V/Line and the CEO to look at new ways to get locals home safer and sooner on the Geelong line.”

Forty-one Geelong commuters lodged complaints with the Public Transport Ombudsman between July 2017 and May. Common issues included myki problems, staff and service delivery.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said this week commuters were frustrated after a number of signal faults and maintenance issues over the past 12 months.

Eighteen weekly services were added to the Geelong line in January last year, and 69 services were added to the line seven months later.

New V/Line chairman and Public Transport Victoria chief executive Jeroen Weimar was not available for comment.