WESTERN suburbs rail commuters will have to continue putting up with peak-hour overcrowding after being overlooked in the latest metropolitan timetable update.
Changes to the timetables include 353 new services; and 283 of those will be added on weekends. The bulk of the changes are on three lines in the eastern suburbs, which will get 10-minute frequency on weekends.
Patronage predictions in 2008 forecast the highest growth in the city on the Werribee and Sydenham lines.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said crowding was common at peak times and was also becoming a problem at off-peak times “when most western suburbs trains run every 20minutes, compared with every 10-15 in the east”.
He said every rail line in Melbourne should be running at 10-minute intervals, all day, every day, with more frequent connecting bus services, to provide a viable alternative to car travel.
Greens MP Colleen Hartland said the west’s transport needs had been ignored.
“In the west we can’t even get a train every 10 minutes in the busiest times, the weekday peak. The Altona Loop has a train every 22 minutes in the weekday peak. If one train is cancelled, which is common, it’s a 44-minute wait.”
She said the Sydenham line was one of the most overcrowded but missed out on more services. “I use this line boarding at West Footscray. I often can’t get on the train after 7.15am.”
Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said 14 peak-period services a day were added to the Werribee line from April last year.
“Stopping patterns were redesigned to increase efficiency on the line with all peak trains from Werribee altered to run express and 30percent extra capacity from Laverton station to the city in the peak period.”
Mr Mulder said punctuality had improved from 78.5percent to 89.4percent in the 12 months to January this year. “The Sydenham line received two new peak services each weekday in the October 2010 train timetable.”
