The North-East railway line's monthly punctuality has hit an all-time low of 7.8 per cent amid the fallout from two derailments including one which claimed two lives.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The February monthly figure is way worse than the 2019 low of 30.1 per cent trains being on time coming in October with more than 100 Albury-Melbourne V/Line services replaced by coaches last month following the XPT train derailment at Wallan and the incident involving a freight and V/Line passenger train near Barnawartha.
All V/Line services were also replaced by buses due to industrial action on February 13 involving a 24-hour stoppage of work.
IN OTHER NEWS
Punctuality was heavily impacted by trains running at slower speeds along the line which managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
Trains also had to travel slower between Kilmore and Donnybrook after a signal relay hut at Wallan was destroyed by fire.
"This has been a challenging month and we would like to thank passengers for their patience while we worked to get them where they needed to go following the incidents on the Albury line," a V/Line spokesperson said.
"Now that trains have returned to the Albury line, our priority is working together with the ARTC to help deliver a more reliable service for North-East passengers."
Benambra MP Bill Tilley has written to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack questioning the advice he is receiving from ARTC.
"Ultimately if we want a reliable service, we can't have excuses and a lack of detail," Mr Tilley said.
"We need the facts, we need the timelines and we need the people in charge to hear everyone on the border screaming 'enough is enough'."
