Why Geelong, Warrnambool trains ran late in December

Geelong and Warrnambool trains missed their punctuality targets last month. Here’s why.

South Geelong station. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Wild weather and car crashes hit southwest train lines hard last month.

Punctuality across the Geelong and Warrnambool lines hit some of its lowest points in the final month of the year, new data has revealed.

The Geelong line was twice affected by a vehicle hitting a level crossing boom gate at peak hour, resulting in more than 25 delays and 40 cancellations.

“Road users are reminded to always obey the warning signs and take care when crossing the tracks,” a V/Line spokesman told the Geelong Advertiser.

“Fairy grass contamination of the rail corridor, trespassers and a mix of unrelated train faults were also among the leading causes of delays and cancellations during the month.”

The Warrnambool line – where 34 per cent of trains were late in December – was plagued by track faults and slow trains as a result of last month’s weather.

“Patronage levels are typically lower across the network during December and January due to the summer holiday period and use of the services is expected to further increase in coming months,” the spokesman said.

“V/Line is working to repair these track faults as quickly and safely as possible so trains can resume running at normal speeds,” he said.

“The boom arm incident on the Geelong line also affected Warrnambool trains.”

A new return service on the Warrnambool line was introduced at the beginning of December.

“The new services include a midmorning weekday train from Melbourne to Warrnambool and a midafternoon service from Warrnambool to Melbourne,” he said.

“More than 3100 passengers have already accessed these services, which is an average of more than 70 passengers per service.”

Amid Tuesday’s extreme heat, the regional rail network announced it operate on a slowed-down timetable.

“Trains that usually travel at up to 160km/h need to slow down to 90km/h or less because steel tracks expand in the heat,” V/Line said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This means journey times may be extended by a few minutes, and some services will be replaced by airconditioned coaches for all or part of the journey.”

Originally published as Why Geelong, Warrnambool trains ran late in December