Thursday 22 December, 2011

Christmas morning trains heading to and from Warrnambool, Swan Hill, Bairnsdale, Shepparton and Echuca have already fully booked out or have few seats remaining.

With more than 22,000 free seats in hot demand V/Line is warning potential travellers to these areas that no seats are likely to be available for travel.

Morning trains travelling from Melbourne to Warrnambool and Swan Hill will have eight carriages running (up from five) and will be carrying up to 600 people when they arrive at their destinations.

Travellers are encouraged to check the V/Line website for full details on booked out trains before planning their Christmas Day journeys.

V/Line Chief Executive Officer Rob Barnett said travel cannot be guaranteed for people who have not made a reservation but still decide to travel.

"On a normal day we would usually be able to get a bus to help get people with where they need to go," he said.

"However on Christmas Day we won’t have this option due to the low availability of private buses and drivers."

Although reservations are not required on short distance trains travelling between Geelong, Traralgon, Ballarat, Seymour and Bendigo passengers are advised to arrive at their chosen train service early.

Limited seats are available and if trains do fill passengers could potentially be standing for a proportion of their journey.

"The busiest trains are traditionally those leaving in the morning and arriving in their destinations for Christmas lunch, or trains that also arrive in time for Christmas dinner," Mr Barnett said.

"It’s fantastic so many people do choose to travel with us on Christmas Day to see friends and family or take a day trip to regional Victoria."

With hot temperatures forecasted for Christmas Day, Swan Hill passengers may need to allow for an extra 20 minutes travel time due to heat speed restrictions.

Travel updates can be found online at vline.com.au, or on Twitter, @vline_geelong, @vline_ballarat, @vline_bendigo, @vline_gippsland, @vline_seymour.