Ballarat commuters have been forced to endure the worst month of train performance since records began, with a woeful 79.8 per cent of trains on the Ballarat line arriving on time.
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The May figure continues a worrying trend for V/Line performance which consistently lagged far behind the 92 per cent stated goal.
In a statement V/Line chief executive James Pinder said rapid growth along the line was to blame for the poor service.
More than 424,000 passengers were taken along the Ballarat line in May, a huge jump from the 338,000 in the same month the year before.
He said the increased patronage was forcing trains to spend longer at each stop as passengers got on and off the train.
“VLine will continue to do everything we can to improve on-time running including encouraging passengers to spread out along the platform and use all available doors to help reduce dwell time,” Mr Pinder said.
Reliability on the line also dropped from 98.6 to 97.6 per cent, but still remains above the stated goal of 96 per cent.
