After decades servicing south-west communities, the Warrnambool Line has bid farewell to its locomotive-hauled trains.
Sunday morning’s 7.45am service from Warrnambool to Southern Cross Station marked the final classic fleet passenger train on the line.
From 14 April, all Warrnambool Line services will run with more modern, reliable and accessible VLocity trains following works to upgrade stabling at Warrnambool Station, which will allow VLocity trains to be stabled overnight.
Coaches are replacing Warrnambool Line trains from Monday 31 March until Sunday 13 April while these important works take place.
When VLocity trains return on 14 April, Warrnambool Line passengers will also benefit from four new weekend services added to the timetable, taking the total number of daily services to five on a weekend.
The complaints about the substandard Vlocity trains have gone ignored by V/Line as have the thousands of signatures on petitions. The local member of Warrnambool thinks this is a good thing, clearly she does not use the train.
The Warrnambool Shire Council also advocated for Vlocity services a 25 year old train design unfit for use on long distance services.
So sad
i rode the new one on Friday coming home from Melbourne and it was horrible. My bottom was numb by the time i got to Geelong and still had another 2 hrs to go. They are so hard and it’s so squishy, no elbow room if you have to sit next to a stranger. I love the convenience of a train to Melbourne and use them frequently to go to and from RCH. Won’t be using them now though, way too uncomfortable for a 3hr trip.
Thankyou for providing extra room for those who don’t need to complain OR claim it takes two hours to get from Geelong to Melbourne.
What would person who Travelling only 80 km from his location to Melbourne know about other people’s
It so typical of some Myki tap on zones travellers….
So inward thinking, doesn’t care about those who do coach transfers with little time get food and drinks….and vline nor responsible if vending machine are empty or not working at Warrnambool station for people getting on a not fit for purpose train!!!
Get you own food and drink is very simplistic view when spaces are limited on a cramped uncomfortable not fit for purpose train travelling 300 km approx to Warrnambool….
Tell that to those who do coach transfers from early hr morning ie: 3am on a regular basis!!!
What has V/Line done about the fact that they have to run 3 carriage velocity trains as the platforms are not long enough for the 6 carriage trains once the trains leave Waurn Ponds station? In peak travel periods this leads to more overcrowding and missing of trains by passengers because passengers cannot fit on.
More like a downgrade no buffet, less seating capacity and totally inadequate storage for luggage let alone very very uncomfortable seats.
These train much more comfortable then VLocity.
Very comfortable seats, buffet services for passengers travelling to work, study and family.
Excellent train staff .
Sadly this decision made without any consultation with those who use this service regularly.
So not a step forward.
We waited so long to have our train service downgraded. No section choice, no seat comfort, no buffet, no room for walking aides, no room for luggage, no faster. Yes, a general price reduction; however, public transport was always designed and supposed to break even. I find it hard to get excited about having the rolling stock parked in W’bool overnight. Duh!
95% of these comments are saying exactly what I’ve been saying since V/Locities were introduced on to the North East line. V/Line is a monolithic government entity that is staffed by bean counters, yes-men (and women) and Melbourne-based car drivers . It is absolutely pathetic that regional passengers have to put up with them, but that’s what you get when your local MP’s don’t have the interest of their constituents at heart. Vote for an independent who cares about their community, listens to their point of view and is prepared to act for the people they represent.
The 30+ people who stood from Southern Cross to Warrnambool on the 1:10pm service yesterday (Sunday 30th March) will be thrilled to read this!
How many alighted at the Geelong stations?
What a shame. We travelled on Saturday from Colac on the 9am train which was full with an extra bus to Geelong added, then very close to full at 7pm. I have also experienced this a couple of times in the past year from Colac.
and go figure, I saw an N set heading for Geelong to replace a VLocity at Southern Cross.
I’ve been driving to Geelong and travelling to Melbourne and back twice a week on a vlocity since Feb, my back is suffering from the hard seats and my legs are getting cramped with lack of leg room on these trains. I couldn’t think of anything worse then catching an overbooked Vlocity for the entire journey to Warrnambool regardless of if you are sitting or standing.
And as for reliability, 2 weeks ago I drove to Sth Geelong for the 6.19am service to find it has been cancelled – a 6 carriage service that is always full by the time it reaches Geelong station. We were told to get on the following service with 3 carriages if we could fit, otherwise wait another 10 minutes for the next 6 carriage service
Another backward step by V/line. The Vlocity railmotors are only designed for short distance commuter traffic. They are no more comfortable than the average suburban train. The N cars are a lot more comfortable and should have been retained for any journeys greater than 2 hours duration. The N cars are less than 50 years old and would be good for at least another 20 years. When I worked for V/line, we were still running E stock, that were about 80 or 90 years old at 115 KPH.
this is not something to be proud of v line . my question is how are the vlocity trains more accessible? you refuse to do any maintenance on n cars then call them ‘less reliable’ because they are run into the ground.
Sad. These trains are so much more comfortable for long distances than the VLocity trains, and they have a buffet facility. Their seating arrangement is far better for family groups too. This is a step backwards for passengers.
They were design for comfort and speed and for a passenger experience. The layout is better too.
I appreciate that we still a passenger service’s Vlocity railcars running all Warrnambool services isn’t something to celebrate vlocitys are not suitable for long distance journeys uncomfortable seats less room narrower seats and to those who say if you don’t like than drive some people have medical conditions preventing them from driving vlocitys are not a upgrade their a downgrade
exactly
Unfortunately just more hype from the government. Vlocity trains were obsolete when introduced but were reasonably comfortable and quiet. Now they are built for discomfort and deafeningly noisy. I regularly travel on the Ballarat line. Lines back to places like Port Fairy with modern trains would be great.
Roy the carriages are not fit for use on anything longer than 60 minutes and yes they are a very old design. They are actually a shitty design and cramped. The person responsible for this mess is Ben Phyland of the PTV.
The new trains are so obviously meant to be only used in a city. They are uncomfortable, there is no food (this trip is 4 hours), there aren’t enough seats, and the seats that are there are horrifically uncomfortable after that much time. I’m a huge fan of using public transport. I don’t want to drive into the city. These trains are actively making the idea of public transport unbearable and if it’s doing it for the people that want to use them how is it convincing others to use more green friendly transport options
Remember the local member stated they were adding seats she is also clueless.
These decisions are made by decision makers who are not even proud enough to use their own trains on regional services!
Relying too heavily on transportation consultants who prefer their tax payer funded car and air services to rail conferences!!!
Most of them think catering for regional travellers on trains are the SAME as Metropolitan travellers who spend very short duration on board a train who is lower rung of rolling stock pecking order VLocity are metropolitan rolling stock and hardly is acceptable for former standard the Regional Rolling Stock the old classic fleet held for 40+ years!
No buffet, metropolitan commuters style fixed seat layout in and minimal storage space and very cramped seat space is not an upgrade to be proud about V/Line executive management….
Such an unpopular decision from an increasingly unpopular operator.
Anyone asking how this decision could have been made?
Are the people at V/Line that incompetent they do not know how to plan for effective change in rail services? It feels like V/line is going backwards everyday.
How would anyone be happy with such a decision Warrnambool passengers must be utterly dumbfounded.
I apparently happen to aware the V/line managment is concerned about 42 seat loss if they introduce a buffet on board the newer trains like the Albury VLocity!!!
The Overseer is Ben Phyland PTV and DTOP Head of Rolling Stock and Ticketing ….he oversaw train design for WA and SA metro beforehand before he came to Vic I understand….
The issue seem to be he seem to applying the same Metropolitan train design concept that is more suited for states that has a smaller rail network as I done it in SA as you can cover a whole line in less than 1-2 hrs there and back in one hit!
In whole day one can cover nearly all metro lines in one hit, there and back just stop off for food and drinks and WC breaks and you can do all lines within a weekend or 3 days if you want go slowly.
We should look up for clues from state that have more extensive railway network ie:NSW they have bigger system and Vic and they do NOT have a one size fits all Policy!
From Suburban Sparks and Inter urban, they have the Endeavour DMU simliar to our aging Sprinters, Explorers DMU 3X2 rail cars that can split like our VLocity for Ararat and Marybourgh for mid distance lines interior is like the XPT with bi directional seats and buffet included that has for intercity and interstate to Brisbane and Melbourne!