The Ballarat train line’s most unreliable service, the 3.37pm from Southern Cross to Melton, has notched up a hat-trick of cancellations this week.
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On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the service was cancelled, with travellers notified of the termination between 12.54pm and 1.31pm.
V/Line cited maintenance requirements as causing Monday and Tuesday’s cancellations, with staff sickness blamed for the abandonment of Wednesday’s service.
It’s the second hat-trick of consecutive cancellations in just over a fortnight, with the service also failing to run on June 26, 27 and 28 due to driver training requirements and infrastructure works.
Unlike many of its counterparts, the 15:37 service returns back to the CBD empty, making it an attractive option to ditch if the network is under strain.
From January 30 to June 6, the weekday train was cancelled on 34 occasions, a staggering 43 per cent of scheduled services. V/Line’s stated target is to run 96 per cent of scheduled trains. Staff sickness, maintenance requirements, train faults and training were some of the excuses offered.
