The opening of the Regional Rail Link coincided with a nightmare day for Altona loop passengers, crushing hopes it would make their commuting life easier.
Altona Loop Group spokeswoman Jennifer Williams said there were no trains for more than five hours on Sunday for people commuting from loop stations – Altona, Westona and Seaholme.
Commuters were notified by Public Transport Victoria that buses would replace trains between Newport and Laverton via Westona due to signal faults near Westona.
Werribee line trains were still running but ran direct between Newport and Laverton, bypassing the Altona loop.
“Altona passengers are still waiting for a reliable train service,” Ms Williams said.
“On RRL’s first day, there were no trains for over five hours on the Altona loop due to yet another fault on the line.
“We have the worst train service in terms of reliability and frequency in Melbourne and it needs to be fixed.”
The RRL has a Geelong train every 20 minutes during weekdays and was supposed to increase reliability for Altona loop passengers by taking V/Line trains off the Werribee line, freeing up space for more metropolitan trains.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the much- lauded benefit of the RRL had made virtually no difference for Metro commuters.
“Laverton and Newport, in particular, seem to have regular equipment failures,” he said. “The single track on the Altona loop also means any little delay can quickly escalate.
“Duplicating the single track and fixing the infrastructure, as well as restoring the Altona loop’s weekday off-peak trains into the city, should be a priority for the government.”
Hobsons Bay council has written to Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan expressing disappointment that Labor had broken a promise to restore direct train services between Altona and Flinders Street once the RRL opened.
Changes to train timetables in 2011 reduced the Altona loop service to every 22 minutes with a change required at Newport station during off-peak times (9am-4.30pm).
