Petition continues push for duplication of the Upfield train line
Workers travelling on the Upfield line say it’s a lottery avoiding cancelled trains while overcrowding saw a school class give up on a field trip. The uncertainty has fuelled a petition calling for duplication works that has been signed by thousands of people.
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Stories of passengers being late to work or missing the train entirely are behind the continuing community push for more reliable and regular services on the Upfield train line.
Regular commuters are being forced to dodge unfulfilled services, while a school trip was cancelled when students couldn’t fit on a train.
A petition created by the Upfield Transport Alliance has garnered more than 2400 physical and online signatures calling for a duplication of the track past Gowrie train station.
Campaigners will march at Merlynston train station on Saturday demanding action.
The alliance has also shared stories of commuters affected by cancelled services on social media.
Wajid Abbas Syed walks to Merlynston each morning to catch the train to his IT job in the city.
“On a normal day at least one of the trains will be cancelled or it will be taken from Coburg,” he said.
“We are waiting half an hour every day, it’s really annoying and painful.”
He said it's a daily lottery out of which three morning trains he can actually catch, with services often short shunted and turned around at Coburg train station.
This leaves four stations north of Coburg without a service.
Jo Stanley said her child missed out on a field trip because her class couldn’t fit into a train at Royal Park train station on July 31.
The class was forced to return to school because the train was too packed after a previous service was cancelled.
According to Metro Trains statistics, 273 trains on the line have failed to hit all expected stops this year, with January the worst affected month with 58 services.
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The alliance said on Tuesday a 7.44am a service from Upfield to the city departed from Coburg, while a 9.24am service was cancelled.
An 8.45am service from the city to Upfield was cancelled.
There are no current plans to upgrade the track.
State Government spokesman Matt Macklinsaid the completion of the Metro Tunnel in 2025 would create room for 45,000 more passengers on the line.
The petition can be signed online until August 22 here. bit.ly/2TeHtBt