In continuing to take the network back to the 1950’s a new time for the Bairnsdale Line starting September 15th 2024 will remove the final locomotive hauled services from the line. Locomotive hauled services are better for the environment and use less fuel than the Vlocity sets (I was going to say new but they are not new at all) and according to Poor and outdated transport policy is adding to air quality issues at Southern Cross are adding to the issues around air quality at Melbourne’s busiest station.
From Sunday 15 September 2024, there will be minor changes to the Traralgon and Bairnsdale timetables.
The first Bairnsdale train to the city and the last Bairnsdale train from the city will run as VLocity trains and make additional stops at Trafalgar, Yarragon, Longwarry, Bunyip, Tynong and Nar Nar Goon.
Gone are the onboard catering and comfortable riding options. These longer distance designed trains are now being replaced with essentially a 25 year old Bus on steel wheels. The much maligned and dated Vlocity trains are starting to show their age with many asking why a new train for longer distance journeys has not already been ordered as is the case in NSW and WA.
What has possessed the PTV and V/Line to think these changes are acceptable to longer distance customers on the Victorian Rail Network?
The decisions to keep investing in these outdated trains shows a complete and dire lack of innovative and contemporary thinking especially when you consider the question of how do we entice people out of their cars and onto lower emission forms of transport. Sadly the Vlocity sets are high emission vehicles but the point is Victoria is decades behind Europe and some other parts of Australia when it comes to onboard services helping to make a 3.5hour journey more interested and comfortable.
This is of course only relevant when the trains are running to Bairnsdale a line frequently placed on hold in favour of bus replacement services.
Your 4 hour long distance train will now stop at Nar Nar Goon. Like thanks guys
Could not get any worse.
Bairnsdale is 4 hours not 3.
Make a good point better services in the train means more pleasurable experience and more people likely to use. Victoria needs a new approach to longer distance trains vlocity is not the answer.
Vline are obsessed with getting you to work in Melbourne and home again but come the weekend with cheap fares, they run 3 car sets rather than 6 cars purely to save diesel. So with 122 x 3 = 366 diesel engines running whereas with our diesel hauled services we used less than a 100 locomotives. Progress nah – backward progress? in large steps.
The vlocity has smaller engines and don’t actually use more fuel even with those all turned on. The issue in Southern cross isn’t the vlocities but the fact that there is a roof over southern cross which captures all of those diesel fumes regardless of if they were vlo’s or loco’s.
Vlocities have an engine for each carriage and therefore emit more diesel fumes than the N class would have. You have 6-9 engines idling in the station. The roof is required because of the climate but yes it contributes only because there is a lack of electrification to prevent the need for diesel trains on 2 or 3 major routes. 2/3 of the diesel trains could be removed with electrification.
Mmmmm by reading this, it make me sad, and think the whole Dept Transport and Planning plus those top management in v/line need a good clean out….
Still no one has question why are they appointing overseas transport professional as consultants from overseas to advise the DTVP on our rail transport system!!!
If these people overseas highly qualified in their profession in rail transport are so good why are they coming here?
One may suspect these people made so many bad decisions in their country’s rail system that their contract was not renewed via there country’s transport dept or overseeing operators …..
It seems we need local professionals in their field who are familiar with Vic Railway conditions not so much the country the came from like those skill that are outsourced from overseas.
And why does it seem non qualified people outside the Industry aka accountants, lawyers and other qualifications outside the rail Industry has a bigger say then those in the Industry and if professional in their field speaks out about the pro and con of that newer technology of trains etc. they are ousted from their profession by not towing the line?
Time for victoria to run overhead to Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and other 2-3 hour destinations.
Exactly what should be happening. Budget should be allocated now for electrification to Waurn Ponds (find a way through the tunnel), Wendouree, Bendigo (Huntley and Marong) as a minimum. I would extend the new HMCT trains back to Tralagon with extension. Once this is done then move diesel operations for those lines to the regional areas for management and services to other locations via those Key regional centres. This would have been done years ago in other countries. The USA in California is proceeding with a ton of electrification and then UK also.