Ballarat trains trailing other lines for punctuality

V/Line train services made only marginal gains in June across the network, with the Ballarat line experiencing just a two-point-three percent improvement in punctuality.

The latest set of performance statistics from Public Transport Victoria showed that only 85.7 per cent of services on the Ballarat line reached their destination ‘on time’ – or within six minutes of scheduling.

The last time Ballarat trains reached V/Line’s punctuality goal was in May last year, when services ran at 95 per cent on the eve of the Regional Rail Link.

V/Line’s punctuality goal is set at 92 per cent.

The Ballarat line ranked ahead of only Gippsland services for punctuality in June, and well behind the Bendigo line (89 per cent punctuality), Geelong (89.9 per cent), and Seymour (91.9 per cent) for services on time.

Reliabilty remained consistent at 97 per cent.

V/Line’s newest timetable kicked in on June 26, with an adjustment to the Deer Park west junction to prevent clashes between Ballarat and Geelong services appearing to make early improvements.

Data from V/Line last Friday showed that only 15 out of the first 189 services on the Ballarat line under the new timetable did not reach their destination on time.

As a percentage at the time, the punctuality was slightly over 92 per cent.

Despite the recent improvements, local commuters say there still needs to be considerable improvements made to the network.

One commuter, in response to a request for feedback from The Courier last week, lamented that the heavily used 4.45pm Southern Cross to Wendouree service was still only three carriages.

Another commuter said there had been a slight improvement in punctuality for evening trains, however, another respondent said they had yet to arrive at their destination on time under the latest timetable.

Another commuter said they were disappointed with the management of rolling stock, with carriage numbers varying between services.