MP Bill Tilley wants V/Line to change bookings system for train

Strong demand in recent months has seen regular incidents of travellers being forced to stand and on the Sunday July 2, 2023, evening's service from Melbourne there were 60 people unable to sit.

It came as two new scheduled weekend runs on July 1 and 2 debuted with strong demand.

The 9.05am Saturday service to Melbourne had 119 passengers, while the 2.33pm Sunday journey from Melbourne had 148 patrons, which is full capacity for the three-carriage train set used.

"The additional Albury line services have proved popular with 270 people taking advantage of these trains and cheaper fares over the weekend," a V/Line spokesman said.

"We are continuing to explore all options to improve passenger experience for this coming weekend and beyond."

Benambra MP Bill Tilley said "extra trains are one fix but to avoid the ridiculous situation that happened again last weekend we need to change the booking system".

"Just 96 of the 328 seats on the full train can be booked online, but people can still buy unreserved tickets in advance," he said.

"At some point, someone, somewhere in V/Line must know when the numbers go above 328, when the train is full, when people will have to stand.

"I understand the philosophy of being able to walk up and get a ticket but this ain't the metro system, there isn't another train in five minutes and people can't hold onto handrails for a four-hour trip."

V/Line has previously stated it is reviewing the booking system.

Regardless, the 9.05am Saturday service will depart from 8.45am now, to fit into slot times on the route.

Meanwhile, a piece of Wangaratta's railway history has been removed this week.

The 1888 Cusack Street pedestrian bridge at the southern end of the city's train station was pulled down on Monday as part of works for the Inland Rail route.

The freight corridor from Melbourne to Brisbane is designed to handle double-stacked wagons, prompting the move to take away the low-level crossing.

Train services on Monday were halted for the work.

The northside Docker Street pedestrian span will also go with an underpass to replace both crossings.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: