Metro’s chief executive is waiting for a train at Altona station.
It’s Thursday night and Andrew Lezala has just attended a forum organised by the Altona Loop Group, attended by more than 150 irate Werribee line commuters.
They’re angry that the three Altona Loop stations – Seaholme, Altona and Westona – are frequently bypassed, with services often late or cancelled.
RELATED: We don’t want to wait, says loop group
One cancelled train in peak hour could mean a wait of more than 40 minutes. Last financial year, trains skipped the Altona Loop more than 300 times, yet the state government rewarded Metro with a $2.4 million bonus for meeting performance targets.
The Weekly asked Mr Lezala if Metro is fined when it bypasses Altona. “Yes, heavily,” he said. “We’re not doing it to save money.”
I informed Mr Lezala that I had a recorded interview with a public transport employee, who says Altona is being bypassed to make up for lost time. “We do do it to make up time – to get as many people on time as possible,” Mr Lezala said.
How many times is Metro allowed to bypass Altona?
“Out of 2300 services a day [on all lines], we’re only allowed to change 50,” Mr Lezala said.
How many of those 50 changes affect the Altona Loop? “If you’ve got a disruption on the Werribee line, then it’ll affect Altona,” he said. “If you’ve got a problem at Newport, it’ll affect Altona. If you’ve got a problem at North Melbourne, sometimes, it will affect Altona.
“[But] once the Regional Rail Link’s in, you’ll have a 20-minute service, you won’t have to change at Newport and it will be more reliable.”
