V/Line passenger numbers are up but failure to deliver extra services brings a host of problems for commuters
For an increasing number of passengers using V/Line, the journey can be a relaxing alternative to driving if services run to plan. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens)
The year's coldest morning has not deterred the commuters huddled in the early morning fog at Ballarat train station.
Most of them will tell you there are more people on regional trains since fares were lowered in 2023, and statistics provided by V/Line support this.
According to V/Line, overall passenger numbers increased by 22 per cent across the state when comparing the first quarter of 2023 — the last three months before the fare change — with the same period in 2024.
Chatting to passengers as the train rolls through green hills between Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh, a few themes emerge.
The western rail line, which includes Ballarat, saw a significant passenger increase in the first three months of 2024. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens)
For some, the fare reduction — which in some parts of the state lowered an adult fare by as much as $35 per day — has prompted them to take the train.
Bhavya, who did not want her surname published, is new to catching V/Line.
"I started taking the train a year ago, once the government reduced the fare; before that I used to drive,"she said.
But she only catches the train one day a week.
On the other days there are no connecting services for where she needs to travel, so she drives instead.
For high school student Arabella, who relies on public transport to reach her school in Melbourne, the fare change came as a relief.
"Sometimes I didn't tap on – fare evasion – but it's because it was getting more expensive last year,"she said.
She says now the fares are lower she taps on.
Teacher Jonathan Brown, who travels from Ballarat to a school in Bacchus Marsh says the train is a more affordable option.
Michael Quinlan says when the V/Line services work as they should, it is a pleasant way to travel. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens)
"It ended up being the same amount of time catching the train to work; it's half the price and when you can put up with the delays every now and then, it works out better," he said.
But several longtime V/Line commuters said while the fare reduction was a nice surprise, the additional passengers sometimes led to overcrowding in the afternoons.
"When the services run as they're meant to, it's really quite pleasant; it's a much better use of time on the train than in the car,"Michael Quinlan said.
"The worst situation is when they [V/Line] only run three carriages [and] there's been a cancellation — so it's double the amount of people on half the size of train," he said.
It is even worse when bus replacement services fail to provide enough buses to cope with the number of passengers, Mr Quinlan said.
Overcrowding is an ongoing issue for many peak-time V/Line train services. (ABC News: Cameron Best)
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Paul Westcott says weekends and school holidays have seen the largest patronage gains.
"It's not much good attracting extra patronage to services that were already crowded if you don't add more trains,"he said.
When Labor announced the fare reduction ahead of the last state election, then premier Daniel Andrews promised an extra 200 weekend V/Line services from 2024.
However, these additional services have not materialised.
A spokesperson for V/Line said an additional five weekday morning services were introduced between Castlemaine and Bendigo in 2023 as part of the Victorian government’s commitment to deliver almost 200 extra weekend services.
The spokesperson said an additional 31 services were extended on the Geelong line between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds in 2023 and that 1,200 special services had been delivered to get passengers to and from major events.
For Alice O'Mara, relying on V/Line to commute to work is a financial choice.
"I choose not to drive ... we can be a one-car family… insurance, petrol costs and things like that — having a single vehicle makes it a lot easier for us," she said.
Alice O'Mara commutes on V/Line five days a week. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens)
She said the fare reduction got people back on the train after COVID and she hopes increased passenger numbers lead to more rail investment.
"I think there is a lot of policy failure over a number of years of government that hasn't put a lot of focus on rail infrastructure which means that the people who are relying on what should be a reliable service they can't, because the infrastructure's not there, particularly in western Victoria," she said.
"The more people who are using [the train], the more funding that goes into it and the more investment goes into the infrastructure."