V/Line still lagging

Geelong line trains miss punctuality target — again

ALMOST 300 trains on the Geelong line ran more than six minutes late in June, V/Line data shows.

The regional rail operator said 2067 of the 2358 services that ran last month arrived on time or less than six minutes late.

But V/Line again missed its punctuality target of 92 per cent in June with only 87.7 per cent of trains running on time.

Since June 2015, V/Line has met its monthly punctuality target on just two occasions — in September and October of 2016.

V/Line chief executive James Pinder said improving performance while meeting patronage growth was a priority.

“We had more than 1.5 million passenger trips on the V/ Line network last month and the Geelong line continues to be the busiest,” Mr Pinder said.

He said reasons for delays to Geelong line trains last month included trains stop- ping at stations longer than scheduled, train faults and a “serious emergency services incident” involving a trespasser at Lara on June 4.

That incident resulted in the line being suspended for more than three hours into the afternoon and evening peak.

Mr Pinder said ongoing maintenance of the line was vital to providing a safe and reliable service.

“We completed $8.4 million in important maintenance on the Geelong and Warrnambool lines last month. More than 240 staff and contractors worked around the clock to complete maintenance on our track, signalling, stations and structures.

“These works help ensure the ongoing upkeep of the line and help reduce the likelihood of unplanned disruptions.”

He said temporary speed restrictions on the Warrnambool line also had flow-on effects on Geelong services.

Last week Mr Pinder conceded punctuality on the Geelong line needs to improve.

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

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

Network constraints mean more peak-hour services cannot be added.

About 94 per cent of scheduled Geelong line services were delivered in June.