Commuters derailed

Pakenham train services are the most likely to bypass Melbourne''s City Loop. 149116

By Bonny Burrows

Pakenham train services bypassed Melbourne’s City Loop 757 times last year, leaving commuters stranded on platforms and waiting for trains that never arrived.
Data released by Public Transport Victoria shows that last year, Pakenham train services were the most likely to be altered to skip the City Loop’s three stations – Melbourne Central, Parliament and Flagstaff – despite a large number of passengers using these stations to commute to work.
In total, around three per cent of Pakenham services were last year altered to run direct to Flinders Street, with passengers on the services asked to change at Richmond or Flinders Street for a later City Loop service.
Cranbourne line passengers were also among the worst affect by loop bypassing, with 647 trains skipping the loop throughout the year.
Reasons given for loop skipping include ill passengers, trespassers, infrastructure faults and vandalism.
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said passengers across all services deserved better.
Metro does get penalised when it bypasses the City Loop – but it still happens hundreds of times every month,” a PTUA spokesperson said.
“They and the State Government need to do more to minimise loop bypasses, skipped stations and cancellations.”
Metro Spokesperson Marcus Williams said the company understood changes to services were frustrating, but were “only ever made to avoid further disruption to more passengers”.
“Through more maintenance and major network upgrades we’ve seen City Loop bypasses across the network decrease by about a third in the second half of last year,” Mr Williams said.
“This is great progress but we’re working around the clock to reduce them even further.
“Whenever a change to a service is necessary our priority is to ensure our passengers are immediately informed so they can make timely decisions.”
The State Opposition slammed the latest figures as “a mismanagement” of the public rail system.
The State Government has ordered Public Transport Victoria to undertake a review of Metro’s loop skipping record.
Pakenham train services bypassed Melbourne’s City Loop 757 times last year, leaving commuters stranded on platforms and waiting for trains that never arrived.