- Published:
- Friday 8 April 2016
Ten more V/Line services will be back on the tracks within weeks, meaning 97 per cent of services will operate as trains by the end of the month.
Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, announced the next round of V/Line service restorations, after more than 40 services returned to the tracks last month, returning more than 5,000 passengers to train services.
On 26 April 2016, six services will be restored on the Geelong line, along with two services on the Bendigo line, meaning all but four services on these major regional corridors will be replaced by coaches each day.
Two services a day will also be restored on the Ballarat line, which will also receive an extra carriage to reduce congestion on the 5:13pm from Southern Cross to Ballart – the busiest service of the day.
The restoration of these services and the additional carriage for Ballarat will return 2,500 passengers to train services every day.
The 11 remaining coach services across the V/Line network will continue to be free for passengers, and full restoration of train services is still on track for mid-year.
The technical report into the cause of the faster than normal wheel wear which has affected services in recent months was released by V/Line earlier today.
For a copy of the report, and further information about service restoration, visit vline.com.au(opens in a new window)
Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“This is the next step in returning full V/Line train services for regional passengers.”
“In a few weeks, six more Geelong services will be back on the tracks, which will reduce congestion on regional Victoria’s busiest rail corridor and help motorists from the west while we upgrade the Westgate Freeway.”
“By the end of the month, 97 per cent of services will be back on the tracks, with full restoration by the middle of the year.”