‘Staff sickness’ that delayed V/Line trains linked to operational changes

THE onset of winter was blamed for mass staff sickness which threw V/Line services into chaos — but there may be another reason for the “sickies” which brought trains to a halt across the state.

Commuters were forced to queue and sit on the floor after a number of V/Line services were cancelled. Picture: Supplied

LATEST: Commuters have been thrown into chaos as regional train services grind to a halt across the state.

V/Line services across the board are suffering major disruptions due to “staff sickness”.

Commuters sitting on the floor on a crowded train. Picture: Supplied

V/LINE STAFF SICKNESS DAYS ON THE RISE IN 2018

However, it’s believed the sickies being taken by drivers is linked to operational changes introduced by managers.

Industrial action has also involved refusal to work rostered overtime.

Sixteen services on the Seymour, Bendigo, Geelong and Ballarat lines were cancelled this afternoon.

Buses will replace some services but not all and commuters have been told to wait for the next service in some cases.

Delays and cancellations are set to cause peak hour chaos as hundreds of passengers are left out in the cold.

Angry commuters have taken to social media to vent their frustration at the major disruptions.

“VLines always get cancelled or delayed. Why so unreliable?” one Twitter user wrote.

“God help us all getting home tonight. This is going to get ugly!” said another.

A V/Line spokesperson claimed the “onset of winter” was responsible for the large number of staff calling in sick today.

“V/Line has recently seen a higher than usual number of staff unwell ... which has unfortunately lead to a number of service changes and cancellations across the network this afternoon,” the spokeperson said.

“We are doing everything we can to source coaches to replace cancelled services but customers may also be asked to board the next available scheduled service.”

One sick staff member can result in up to three cancelled services.

It comes two days after four trains on the Geelong line were cancelled due to staff sickness.

Earlier this week it was revealed more than 100 trains on the Geelong line have been cancelled or altered this year due to staff sickness according to V/Line data.