Delays from early morning V/Line strike to last through Wednesday

Regional travellers and commuters have been hit with long delays after V/Line staff walked off the job and the pain is set to last well into Wednesday.

Buses lined up to replace trains at Southern Cross Station on Wednesday.

Hundreds of commuters and travellers have been disrupted by striking V/Line workers with disruptions set to extend into the afternoon.

Staff at the state’s regional rail network walked off the job at 3am Wednesday, bringing regional train services to a halt.

Delays and cancellations are expected to last throughout all of Wednesday despite the strike officially ending at 7am.

Commuters have complained about lengthy delays on replacement buses, many having to travel up to an hour longer than their usual journeys.

Melbourne CBD resident Harry Lau was caught up in the V/Line strike on Wednesday

Southern Cross station during V/Line strike on Wednesday.

Melbourne CBD resident Harry Lau, who had been in Adelaide, was forced to catch a replacement bus into Melbourne.

He told the Herald Sun his journey home had been a “nightmare”.

“It has been a nightmare this morning,” he said.

“My coach was affected by a lot of traffic, I was meant to arrive an hour ago according to the timetable.

“My family lives out in Caroline Springs which is part of the V/Line network and they said everyone has to drive everywhere.

“The service on the bus itself was all right, I guess you can’t really expect much.”

V/Line trains are now resuming after earlier industrial action today.

There may be delays and cancellations as the normal timetables resume.

We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

For more information or enquiries, visit https://t.co/M6ozsRbD07pic.twitter.com/CYJ5TiqqwS

— V/Line (@VLine) December 12, 2023

Ballarat local Nigel Croydon said he had to get a bus which left an hour earlier than his usual train.

“I usually get a 6am train but today I had to get a 5am bus — now I’m here an hour early.”

V/Line union members are striking after demanding a 17 per cent pay rise over four years and a guarantee that their positions will not be taken over by computers.

V/Line chief executive Matt Carrick on Tuesday said passengers should avoid travelling.

“V/Line train passengers are advised to avoid travelling early on Wednesday morning due to industrial action, with no passenger trains expected to run before 8am and significant delays expected throughout the day,” he said.

“We have been negotiating with employee representatives and the union in good faith and urge the union to reconsider this action, which will disrupt tens of thousands of passengers.

“We’ll continue to work with the union to deliver excellent employment conditions for our workforce and a great service for our passengers – we will work hard to minimise the impacts of disruption on passengers.”