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ALTONA, Footscray and Werribee commuters are the unhappiest across the entire metropolitan train network, according to a new survey.
The latest independent customer satisfaction survey, conducted for the Transport Department, showed passengers between Footscray, Altona and Werribee on the Werribee line returned the lowest customer satisfaction rates for a third consecutive survey.
Werribee-Seaholme passengers returned the lowest satisfaction rating of 59per cent, a 1per cent increase from the previous September quarter survey, while satisfaction across the metropolitan network jumped to its highest rating since 2006.
This comes after Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland launched a scathing attack on timetable changes on the Werribee line, which she said failed to deliver promised additional train services.
There were 185 extra services added to the Werribee line on May 8 last year. But Ms Hartland told the Weekly in February that commuters had been “misled” by the promise of more trains, as fewer than two-thirds ran the full course to Werribee.
In response to a question on notice in Parliament from Ms Hartland about the new services, Transport Minister Terry Mulder conceded many of the trains were Altona loop shuttle services or terminated at Laverton.
Of the 185 new trains, 47 were Altona loop shuttles, 11 originated in Laverton and 10 terminated at Laverton, Ms Hartland said.
“Most are Altona loop shuttle trains which simply shuttle back and forth through three Altona loop stations, they go nowhere near Werribee and certainly won’t take anyone to the city.”
Ms Hartland said the Altona loop service was “the pits”.
“Peak trains run every 22 minutes, while most train lines are every 10 minutes. In off-peak, commuters have to take three separate trains to get to the city loop.”
But Transport Department spokesman Norman Gray said the new service introduced last May had benefited Werribee line commuters.
He said the department deliberately scheduled short-running trains, like trains that terminated at Laverton instead of Werribee, to free up track space that allowed express services to run between Werribee and the city.
Mr Gray said punctuality on the Werribee line had improved from an average of 78.5per cent from January to April 2011 to 89.7per cent from June to November 2011.
