Trespassers continue to delay services on the Ballarat railway line, with the train operator admitting to a fall in the number of services arriving on time in March.
V/Line failed to meet its punctuality target of 92 per cent in March, with only 81.4 per cent of services arriving on time.
Fourteen services were affected during the morning peak when a car pushed a boom gate into the path of a train at Melton, with the flow-on affecting other services throughout the day.
Trespassers also caused significant delays to Ballarat railway line services during March.
V/Line chief executive James Pinder said duplicating the Ballarat railway line between Deer Park and Melton, and new crossing loops at Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Bungaree would help improve services.
“Early works are already underway,” Mr Pinder said. “And on completion will allow V/Line to run more trains during peak times and better recover from unexpected delays.”
Mr Pinder urged everyone to stay away from train tracks, saying “this type of reckless behaviour puts people’s lives in danger”.
There were more than two million trips on V/Line services across the state in March. Mr Pinder attributed this “record” rate to the increased number of train services and the new Caroline Springs station.
