Southeast train headaches unveiled in PTV shocking stats
People left waiting on a platform for Frankston, Dandenong or Pakenham trains may not be surprised, but the three lines have borne the brunt of Melbourne’s poor-performing train system. But one southeast line was among the city’s best.
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Train users in Melbourne’s southeast endured more transport headaches than most of the state last month, baring the brunt of the highest number of late, cancelled and bypassed services.
It wasn’t a merry festive season for travellers on the Frankston, Dandenong and Pakenham lines — with the Department of Transport’s dreadful December data unveiling the trio as among the network’s worst performers.
And despite all three finishing in the bottom five for late, cancelled and bypassed services — the scorecard wasn’t peaking across the board, either — with Metro failing to hit punctuality targets each month last year.
Nearly one in 10 trains ran late across Melbourne in 2019, with Pakenham, Frankston and Cranbourne all recording more than 11 per cent behind schedule services.
All three lines again racked up the worst scores for cancelled services — with Melbourne’s busiest line, Frankston, wiping out nearly 150 rides.
Almost 70 services on the Cranbourne line bypassed the city loop, behind Pakenham which scrapped more than 80 and behind Frankston on 55.
The disheartening statistics come after frustrated commuters on the Cranbourne line told The Leader they “refused” to catch a train again as Metro Tunnel works splashed travel times out by three hours last week.
They also pleaded for an extension to connect through to Clyde North as well as the development of a multistorey car park, with people forced to walk for at least 15 minutes as the station’s spaces packed out before 6.45am.
“(The extension) would split the crowd and have enough parking as new stations will have their share,” passenger Rajadurai Thangavelu said.
But for those willing to make the trip over to beachy Bayside, the Sandringham line was the southeast’s saving grace — boasting less than one per cent of cancelled services and delivering the highest percentage of services (99.1 per cent) behind Glen Waverley.
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Department of Transport head of transport services Jeroen Weimar said “significant” external challenges played a part in December’s results, including scorching temperatures and people who illegally entered the tracks.
“Metro Trains was faced with many challenges in December … it’s crucial operators work to meet their performance targets,” he said.
“We’re still looking for them to improve their performance to ensure our passengers get the reliable service they deserve.”