Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed on V/Line trains to provide vital assistance to passengers in case of an emergency.
Acting Public and Active Transport Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the rollout of the defibrillators was underway, with devices which can be operated by either V/Line staff or members of the public to help save lives.
Already 90 AEDs have been installed on V/Line trains, including 65 on VLocity trains – with many more to be progressively rolled out over the coming months.
Defibrillators on trains will help ensure critical assistance can be given to a person on board in the vital first few minutes after an incident of cardiac arrest.
Ambulance Victoria data shows that combining CPR with defibrillation can increase a person’s survival rate by up to 70 per cent.
To minimise any disruptions to passengers, the devices are being installed on trains during regular maintenance regimes – while portable defibrillators have also been given to each train as an interim measure.
The installation of AEDs on trains follows the State Government’s successful roll-out of the life-saving devices at V/Line and metropolitan stations.
V/Line started installing AEDs at its stations in 2018, and now all 47 staffed stations across the regional network have a defibrillator available.
Additional devices have also recently been installed on all V/Line platforms at Southern Cross Station to make them more accessible to staff and members of the public.
V/Line Chief Executive Officer Matt Carrick said this was a really important project which would significantly enhance staff and passengers’ ability to respond to these incidents onboard train services.
“Each of our different train types have required a different design so we have been working to develop prototypes to ensure the units can be safely installed and are fit-for-purpose,” he said.
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