Train timetable slowed down on busy Melbourne rail corridor
Travel times on the city’s rail network are set for an overhaul next month, with trips on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Dandenong lines to be slowed down. SEE HOW THE CHANGES EFFECT YOU.
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Trips on some of Melbourne’s busiest train lines will be slowed down from December under a new timetable adjusted to cope with surging passenger growth.
A new schedule for the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Dandenong lines will see between one and five minutes added to 93 weekday services.
Most of the changes will add either one or two minutes journeys to reflect delays created by more peak hour passengers piling on to trains.
But in good news for some commuters, another 16 will become faster services and have up to 2 minutes cut from their trip time.
Department of Transport head of transport services Jeroen Weimar said the new timetable focused on busy lines to reflect the number of passengers waiting at platforms.
“We’re carrying far more people on our rail network than we did five or 10 years ago,” he said.
“Where there is additional time needed for people to get on and off trains … We’re building that time into our current timetable.
“We have gone through this train by train, station by station, to adjust those timings and to show that customers can be confident that the service we are advertising is the one they will actually receive.”
The new timetable will be released in full on Friday and begin from December 1.
Mr Weimar said the timetable change was not designed to benefit Metro after a difficult year in which the operator has been forced to pay compensation for failed punctuality targets.
“We continue to expect to see over 90 per cent of our services arriving on time,” he said.
Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said timetable discussions had also focused on being better integrated with bus services.
“There is nothing more frustrating than turning up at your train station on your way home and seeing your bus you know go off into the distance
“It’s good news for commuters in that people can plan their the journey more accurately and that’s what passengers want.”
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Opposition public transport spokesman David Davis said it was “extraordinary” that commuters would face longer trip times.
“That line has had enormous works on it,” he said.
“I cannot understand why the government would want to increase the times it takes to travel on our system.
“The performance of the system has declined badly in the last two years.”
Southern Cross Station will also open an hour earlier on Sunday mornings to better integrate with the city’s night network.