More carriages for a more comfortable
journey.
100
new carriages delivered since 2005
That’s 7280 extra seats and more on their way.
The 100th VLocity carriage hit the tracks on 4 December 2009, a
major milestone since the new trains were rolled out in 2005.
The initial 40 two-car VLocity trains (80 carriages) were introduced after
regional fast rail corridors were completed. They quickly became popular with
customers for their speed, comfort and reliability.
Since their introduction, V/Line has carried an unprecedented number of
passengers with patronage up 79 per cent since 2005/06.
As result of further funding from the State
Government, V/Line has now taken possession of an extra 20 carriages in just 16
months. These extra carriages have transformed many of our existing
two-carriage VLocity trains into three-carriage sets.
The extra 20 carriages (added since August 2008)
add 1520 seats to our fleet and are used on 83 services each weekday. The
extra carriages are also boosting capacity on weekend services, which are also
growing in popularity.
The extra seats on our 100 carriages look like
this:
20 extra carriages x 76 seats = 1520
40 two-car VLocities x 144 seats = 5760
Extra seats since December 2005 = 7280
And there are more seats on their way. On 8
December 2008, the State Government announced our previous order for 54 more
carriages will be expanded further to a total of 74 new carriages. (See: State Government annoucement (new window))
Where are the extra carriages going?
Each of the extra carriages runs on four to six
services per weekday, including at least one morning and one afternoon peak
service. Our aim is to add an average of one extra carriage per month over the
next few years.
Unless otherwise noted, the following weekday trains have grown
from two carriages to run as three-carriage trains:
|
Gippsland line:
05.38
Traralgon to Melbourne
06:43
Traralgon to Melbourne
07:15
Traralgon to Melbourne
08.32
Melbourne to Traralgon
09:25
Melbourne to Traralgon
10:20
Traralgon to Melbourne
10:25
Melbourne to Traralgon
11.15
Traralgon to Melbourne
11:25
Melbourne to Traralgon
12:15
Traralgon to Melbourne
13:15
Traralgon to Melbourne
14:25
Melbourne to Traralgon +
15:15
Traralgon to Melbourne
15:20
Melbourne to Traralgon
16:10
Melbourne to Traralgon
16.47
Melbourne to Traralgon #
17:05
Traralgon to Melbourne
17:50
Traralgon to Melbourne
19:25
Melbourne to Traralgon
20:30
Melbourne to Traralgon
|
Bendigo line:
05:16
Bendigo to Melbourne #
06:02
Bendigo to Melbourne
06:35
Bendigo to Melbourne +
06:13
Melbourne to Bendigo
07:10
Melbourne to Bendigo
07:34
Melbourne to Sunbury
07:45
Bendigo to Melbourne +
08:23
Sunbury to Melbourne
08:45
Bendigo to Melbourne +
10:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
10:30
Bendigo to Melbourne
11:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
12:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
12:33
Bendigo to Melbourne
13:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
13:38
Bendigo to Melbourne
14:15
Melbourne to Sunbury #
14:28
Bendigo to Melbourne
15:15
Melbourne to Echuca
16:15
Melbourne to Bendigo +
16:53
Melbourne to Bendigo
16:55
Sunbury to Melbourne #
17:00
Melbourne to Bendigo +
17:18
Bendigo to Melbourne
17:37
Melbourne to Bendigo #
19:05
Bendigo to Melbourne
19:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
20:40
Bendigo to Melbourne
21:15
Melbourne to Bendigo
|
|
Geelong line:
06:50
Marshall to Melbourne *
07:17
South Geelong to Melbourne *
07:54
Melbourne to Marshall #
09:00
Melbourne to South Geelong +
09:24
Marshall to Melbourne #
10:24
South Geelong to Melbourne +
11:00
Melbourne to South Geelong #
12:00
Melbourne to South Geelong +
12:27
South Geelong to Melbourne #
13:00
Melbourne to Geelong
13:25
Marshall to Melbourne
14:27
South Geelong to Melbourne
15:23
Marshall to Melbourne
16:40
Melbourne to Marshall *
17:29
Melbourne to Marshall *
19:36
Melbourne to South Geelong
21:17
South Geelong to Melbourne
22:05
Melbourne to Marshall
|
Ballarat line:
05:40
Ballarat to Melbourne
06:25
Melbourne to Ballarat #
06:54
Wendouree to Melbourne #
09:08
Melbourne to Ballarat
09:12
Ballarat to Melbourne #
10:08
Melbourne to Ballarat
11:12
Ballarat to Melbourne
12:13
Ballarat to Melbourne
13:08
Melbourne to Ballarat
14:08
Melbourne to Melton #
15:14
Ballarat to Melbourne
16:05
Melbourne to Ballarat #
16:36
Melbourne to Ballarat
17:49
Melbourne to Ballarat #
19:20
Ballarat to Melbourne #
20:25
Melbourne to Ballarat
|
* Train has increased
from a six-carriage train to run as seven carriages on most weekdays.
# formerly a
four-carriage train, now running as five carriages on most weekdays.
+ formerly a
five-carriage train, now running as six carriages on most weekdays.
The table above only covers weekday services, however the extra carriages also
serve several weekend services, particularly during major events.
The move back to public transport
With petrol prices still high, train operators
around the world have seen a major shift back to public transport, and Victoria has been no exception.
Not since the 1940s have so many people
travelled by train, with massive growth recorded in recent years.
At V/Line, passenger numbers jumped have 79 per
cent in the four years since 2005/06 with the fare cut, followed by the high
cost of petrol.
Such a huge increase defied the traditional two
to three per cent annual growth of the past decade, presenting a big challenge
for transport planners.
Part of this challenge has been the fact that
new trains take up to two years to build from the time an order is placed,
meaning it’s difficult to respond quickly to sudden, sharp increases in
passenger numbers.
But V/Line is better placed than most train
operators around the world because of a big increase to our fleet since 2005,
an order for more carriages which is already starting to be delivered, and a
deal for even more new trains to ensure the production line keeps ticking over.
Frequently
asked questions:
· Why are the trains so busy?
· Why doesn’t V/Line just put on more trains?
· What is V/Line doing about the crowding?
· When will I see the new carriages on my line?
· What are the key features of the new carriages?
· My train is already six carriages – can it get any
bigger?
· What other plans are there to help manage busy trains?
Why are the trains so busy?
Worldwide fuel prices have encouraged people
back onto cheaper, more efficient public transport and Victoria is no different.
People have recognised that using V/Line can save them thousands of dollars per
year on petrol and parking costs, plus it’s a safe and convenient
way to travel.
Why doesn’t V/Line just put on more trains?
We added 40 two-carriage VLocity trains (80 carriages, or 5760 seats) to our
fleet from 2005, but these extra carriages were quickly consumed by the record
number of new people travelling. All of our trains and carriages are in full
use during the peaks.
On top of the original 80 VLocity carriages, 20 more have taken to the tracks
since August 2008. As shown in the table above, these carriages now operate on
83 services each weekday (figures from December 2009).
The good news is that the fleet will continue
to grow at the rate of at least one carriage (or 76 seats)
per month on average for the next few years.
What is V/Line doing about the crowding?
Between August 2008 and at least 2012 we’ll see
the addition of 74 extra VLocity carriages to the V/Line fleet to help manage
our growing patronage.
When all of the carriages are rolled out, we’ll have more than 5600 seats across the network.
When will I see the new carriages on my line?
New carriages are being added to busy services
currently running and will also give V/Line more rolling stock and flexibility
for special events such as busy football trains.
Our conductors record how many people are on
each service and this information sets the roll-out priorities for the new
carriages.
That means the deployment plan for the extra
carriages needs to be flexible enough to cater for changes in passenger numbers
on certain services.
The services already
benefiting from the extra carriages are detailed in the table above.
What are the key features of the new
carriages?
The new carriages have room for four wheelchair
passengers and an additional bicycle and luggage area.
In response to customer feedback, the seat back
angles in the middle carriages have been made 2.5 degrees
more upright and 32 of the seats are fitted with seat back tables.
My train is already six carriages – can it
get any bigger?
Most stations across Victoria were designed to
cater for six-carriage trains, so to lengthen our trains further, the platforms
need to grow with the trains.
This was recently only an issue for the Geelong line where several trains were busy and already running at the previous maximum
length of six carriages. However, works to expand platforms at North
Melbourne, South Geelong and Marshall stations have now been completed.
In the coming months and years, you may also
see works to lengthen platforms at other train stations across the state as we
plan for growth from other busy locations.
What other plans are there to help manage
busy trains?
Bigger trains with more seats will greatly
improve onboard comfort and allow more Victorians to take advantage of our
service.
Where needed, platforms will also be expanded
to cater for bigger trains.
There are also major infrastructure works
planned which will allow for more frequent services to run on the Ballarat,
Bendigo and Geelong lines during peak times from 2014. For more information,
see:
Overview of the Victorian Transport Plan and the Regional
Rail Link project (new
window)