Hot, stuffy and very annoying: Passenger's V/Line trip to Melbourne

After boarding the 6.44am service on Saturday, Ms Menz arrived at Seymour where a new driver was to take control of the train.

When he did not arrive, passengers were advised to swap to a Sprinter service and then the driver of the original train arrived.

However, Ms Menz said there was no message to say you could return and after it left, the Sprinter was switched from a four to two-carriage service due to a "technical" problem, resulting in a crowded journey.

"It was very hot and stuffy and very annoying," Ms Menz said yesterday.

"It was really a debacle and it's ridiculous we have this in 2022."

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Left fuming, Ms Menz emailed the Victorian Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll on Monday night, relating her inconvenience and calling for action.

"There is no sign that this service is ever going to improve," Ms Menz wrote, noting recent problems with VLocity trains, the lack of a buffet service and poor customer relations.

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"If this was a one-off, that would be annoying however it is a regular occurrence, and it is time for action and accountability."

Ms Menz wrote "a full enquiry is needed where people are held to account" and that for 20 years there had been a political "blame game" but she did not care which party was in power.

"I do not want to hear lip service or platitudes, we want to see a reliable rail service between Wodonga and Melbourne," she stated.

"One that belongs in 2022 not 1922 actually that would have probably been better maybe I should say 2002."

After The Border Mail contacted Mr Carroll's office yesterday with various questions, a government spokeswoman responded with an acknowledgement of failure.

"We set a high standard for our public transport operators and expect them to meet punctuality and reliability targets - and we apologise to passengers who don't receive that level of service," she said.

A rostering error led to the driver not being available at Seymour and finding a replacement resulted in a 45-minute delay.

That also meant no driver could prepare carriages for the Sprinter, prompting the move to run it with two cars.

It is hoped new budget funding will improve V/Line's systems used for rostering to avoid such problems.

Meanwhile, Benambra MP Bill Tilley will meet public transport officials and speak to Mr Carroll's office during next week's parliamentary sitting in Melbourne.

Ms Menz said there should have been better communication to passengers about the reason for the delays.

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