By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
RAIL commuters on the Dandenong corridor are feeling an ever-tightening squeeze on morning peak trips, according to a Public Transport Victoria report.
And the crush isn’t expected to be relieved until 2018.
According to the PTV’s Metropolitan Train Load Standards Survey, there were 47 overcrowded trains during morning peak on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in May – that’s nearly 40 per cent of those services.
This was up from 35.5 per cent the year before, though a marked improvement from a 2010 peak of 57.4 per cent.
By 2018, the State Government is expecting to boost capacity by 42 per cent – an extra 11,000 passengers in the morning peak.
It plans in that time to remove all nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong, rebuild four stations, upgrade signalling and buy 37 high-capacity trains for the line.
The Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel – which is expected to boost capacity by 20,000 passengers an hour – is due in 2026.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan attributed the worsening crush to population and patronage growth in the south-east and “four years of neglect under the former Liberal Government”.
She said that’s why the government was investing “billions” in local rail projects up to 2018.
Opposition Public Tansport Spokesman David Hodgett said the State Government had “squibbed it” on rail timetable changes in June.
“It is not logical that (the) timetable has trains as close as 12 minutes together just after 6.30am from Cranbourne but at the busier weekday time of 7.30am there is up to a 17-minute gap.
“The Cranbourne line is mostly single track but by carefully tweaking timetables, at least one more Cranbourne line trip could be added when commuters need it most.”
He said the previous Coalition Government introduced more than 10,000 extra train, tram and bus trips a week – 75 per cent more than what the current government had created.
Greens upper house MP Nina Springle says the stats show passengers endure an “uncomfortable” and “dangerous” ride on one of Melbourne’s most overloaded lines.
“It’s no wonder that the roads are gridlocked when the trains are overflowing and unreliable.”
She called for the rapid rollout of modern train signals to replace an “ancient” and “unreliable” system that limited the number of train services in peak periods.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said timetable changes and resolving cancellations and delays would help in the short-term.
“Ultimately though, the government must plan and fund continued upgrades to railway lines right across Melbourne to ensure they cope with continued patronage growth.”
* METRO Trains came under a Twitter attack from irate commuters at Dandenong and Springvale stations during morning peak time on 12 November.
Commuters complained of waits of up to two hours to board replacement buses
due to a line closure, many tweeting pictures and videos of deep queues.
The line had closed between Dandenong-Westall stations due to a person’s death at Sandown Park that morning.
