More than 300 trains skipped the Altona loop last financial year
despite being scheduled to stop at the three stations on the Werribee
line.
Public Transport Victoria’s Track Record report showed that trains bypassed the Altona loop 98 times from April
to June – 36 more times than for the June quarter last year.
Trains that are meant to stop at Westona, Altona and Seaholme
stations can run directly between Laverton and Newport to make up time.
Operator Metro received a $2.4-million state government performance bonus for meeting targets.
Members of the Altona Loop Group last year coined the term “kidnap
express” to describe trains that changed direction mid-journey to save
time.
Altona Loop Group member Jennifer Williams (pictured) said the
group believed there should be no bypasses as the service level was
already poor enough, even without additional disruptions.
“At more than one per day, it is hardly a rare occurrence and has serious impacts on passengers,” she said.
“On August 22, I was on a train at night that left Newport and bypassed the loop.
“All of the passengers had to change platforms at Laverton and
wait 14 minutes for a train to the loop stations. It took over an hour
to get home from the city, which shows just how unreliable the service
is.”
The Altona loop section of the track is in zone 1 and within 15 kilometres of Melbourne.
Altona resident Shelley Kerr said every Friday about 7.30pm it took more than an hour to get home.
“There’s no excuse for having late trains and trains diverting
because they can’t get their act together,” she said. “It’s not as
though it’s even in peak hour.’’
A PTV spokesman said there had been a dramatic reduction in bypasses, which were down from more than 1000 in 2010.
“After the completion of Regional Rail Link (expected in 2016),
Altona loop trains will be able to run through to Flinders Street so
that passengers will no longer need to change trains at Newport,” he
said.
