Three carriages will be added to two peak-hour services on the Ballarat railway line, doubling the number of seats on each service.
The Vlocity carriages will enter service on Monday, November 7, and will be added to the 7.39am from Wendouree to Southern Cross, and the 4pm from Southern Cross to Ballarat.
The carriages have been delivered four months ahead of schedule.
Public Transport Users Association regional spokesman Paul Westcott said this was welcome relief for Ballarat railway commuters adversely affected by the roll-out of the Regional Rail Link last year when services were stripped away and carriages pulled out.
Mr Westcott said that while overcrowding on Ballarat railway line services had been an issue for 10 years, it was only likely to get worse with the population boom in the state’s west.
“The good thing about the Ballarat line is even though trains could be overcrowded, they’re not at the maximum length at the moment,” Mr Westcott said. “There’s potential to add extra carriages … there’s relief in sight.”
Mr Westcott said he believed the extra Vlocity trains, to be rolled out across the network in the next 18 months, would help overcome overcrowding on the Ballarat line.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the state government had ordered 100 new trains for the state – including X’Trapolis metropolitan trains and Vlocity regional trains – following a four-year “chronic under-investment” by the previous state government.
“We’ve ordered more than 100 new trains in less than two years and they’re already starting to hit the network,” she said. “The new trains will be vital as patronage grows and we deliver our pipeline of major transport projects, including the Metro Tunnel, 50 level-crossing removals and line upgrades and extensions across Victoria.”
Melton MP Don Nardella said the announcement came on the back of significant funding on the Ballarat line upgrade, including the duplication of the line between Melton and Deer Park. He said the extra carriages would make the daily commute a lot more comfortable.
