By Ben Cameron
Almost all Sunbury line trains ran as per schedule in the month of May, but on punctuality, services fell marginally below the line’s annual average.
A total of 92.4 per cent of trains ran on time, compared to the 12-month average of 93.2 per cent.
However, the Sunbury line scored its best results in terms of service delivery with
99.4 per cent of trains running – the best since June last year.
Meanwhile, the Ballarat line recorded its best results for punctuality since February with 95 per cent of trains running on time.
In May, almost all of its trains (99.4 per cent) ran as scheduled – the line’s best result since last November.
The figures come as Brimbank commuters await the June 21 opening of the $4.3 million Regional Rail Link, a 45-kilometre link between Southern Cross Station and West Werribee, which also incorporates Sunshine, Deer Park and Ardeer stations.
The link’s opening was delayed when the state government discovered there weren’t enough V/Line trains to run on the line.
A Public Transport Victoria spokesman told Star Weekly last month the link would provide a “massive boost” to train services from Deer Park station to Southern Cross.
“From Deer Park, some journeys will take as little as 21 minutes to Southern Cross, compared to 24 to 28 minutes on the current timetable,” he said.
The link is the first major expansion of the state’s rail network in more than 30 years and is designed to separate regional and metropolitan trains.
The government maintains the delayed opening of RRL means commuters will be spared chaos and confusion.
Star Weekly revealed last week that a 6.08am Ballarat train line service departing from Deer Park would no longer be available.
