Public transport activists are welcoming an incoming reduction in regional train fares, but say changes need to be made to accommodate the growing commuter base in western Victoria.
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From March 31, V/Line's daily travel fare will be capped at $9.20 - in an effort to bring balance between regional and metro commuters.
This comes after a debate on public transport cost and accessibility lit up the November 2022 state election, with both parties pledging reductions in the daily cost of moving around the state.
Under the current pricing scheme, non-concession adults could pay up to $45.60 per day to commute from Ballarat to Melbourne.
Public Transport Users Association Ballarat convener Ben Lever said the changes were a 'mixed bag', welcoming the overall reduction in train fares but questioning whether a one-cap-for-all approach would work in the long-term.
"The current V/Line fares are too high and there are bunch of weird anomalies - there is a big jump when you leave Melbourne and get into regional areas," he said.
"(Under the changes) A really short journey will be the same amount of money as really long journey, that is going to potentially have some strange effects where really cheap journeys over long distance trains might lead to some overcrowding on those lines."
Mr Lever said the overcrowding would especially be felt worse on train lines with less frequent timetables, where passengers could face hefty wait times if forced to miss a train.
During their election campaign, the state government argued the price capping would bring equity to the state's passenger rail network.
Mr Lever said lowering the fare price may entice more people to travel by rail, but was only one part of a bigger picture, which included quality service delivery.
"If the fares are too high, and they are not competitive with driving, then reducing fares tends to have an impact on ridership," he said.
"Once it is at a competitive level, it becomes a lot more about the quality of service, and I going to have to wait ages? Will I have to deal with crowding?"
According to 2021 census figures, 674 people in Ballarat reported using public transport daily to get into work - a figure offset by the impact of COVID work-from-home orders.
Mr Lever said he did not believe daily work commuters would increase due to the pricing cap, which would be reflected elsewhere in the timetable.
"I think that it will probably lead to an increase in the number of people using the train. I think for commuting purposes it will not have as much of an impact, because there are much more factors at play there.
"But on evenings and weekends, where people might be going down to Melbourne for shopping or the footy, it is going to be a much more attractive option to take the train for those purposes.
"That is where the services are lacking, we have fewer services on the evenings and weekends and that is when we already see some over crowding and that is where it is going to get worse."
Another key issue for the Ballarat line, Mr Lever said, was metro passengers overcrowding the existing services.
Mr Lever said separation of regional and metro services for Ballarat would be critical ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the potential groundswell of passengers it would bring.
"It doesn't seem like that is on the cards in the near future, but it really needs to be brought to the front of the queue, particularly with the Commonwealth Games coming up," he said.
"You are going to have people using the trains for their everyday uses and spectators for the games piled on top of that, which will put a huge amount of pressure on."
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