Warrnambool train overcrowded, many forced to stand the whole trip

Richard Ziegeler was onboard the 1pm service from Southern Cross on Sunday and said one passenger quipped when he got off the train that it was better than some other countries only because there were "no chooks, no veggies".

"There were people in the aisles for the whole four-and-a-half hour trip," he said.

The Warrnambool City councillor said an extra carriage or two was needed to cater for the number of passengers onboard.

The platform at Southern Cross was "just full as a goog", he said, and people were asked to take the next train half-an-hour later if they were only going to go as far as Waurn Ponds.

"Very few people took up that option," he said.

Warrnambool's Phil Carter was also on the same train and said when he arrived at the platform in Melbourne there more than 400 people waiting to board the four carriages.

"When the carriage doors opened there was a mad scramble to grab any seat," he said.

Mr Carter said about 100 people were left standing in the carriages, and since most were travelling to Warrnambool, many stood all the way.

"I was squeezed into the area between two carriages, along with 20 to 30 others, including two people who had to stand in the toilet as there was nowhere else to stand," he said. "The few staff tried their best but couldn't get through the log jam of people to check tickets."

Cr Ziegeler said when he left to go to Melbourne, the car park along Merri Street was "absolutely choc-a-block". "It was clear a lot of people had gone down for the weekend. That should have been a warning for V/Line," he said.

Cr Ziegeler said V/Line could have predicted usage would have gone up in the school holidays because the fares were now so cheap - his being just $3.60.

During the trip home, passengers had to fight their way through the crowded aisles to get off at their stops, which delayed the train and added extra time to the trip, he said

"To add insult to injury, because it was so crowded they didn't open the canteen. They just physically couldn't," he said.

"The other thing that's a bit disturbing...the (new) VLocity trains won't be serviced with any kind of refreshments and that's a real medical problem for a lot of folks with diabetes for example.

"In that circumstance, if it's overcrowded, they cannot possibly get a refreshment trolley down the aisles.

"The VLocity trains are projected to be only 10 minutes quicker than the current trains, so we've got a third world service."

Cr Ziegeler said trying to get to Warrnambool for a weekend in the summer holidays would be "horrific" if nothing was done to address the overcrowding.

He said the weekend's trip was tolerable for him because he managed to get a seat.

But there were elderly people who really struggled because there was limited access to the toilets for part of the trip, Cr Ziegeler said. "Folks were crowded around it so tight there was not access," he said. "For older folks that was just unbelievable."

Cr Ziegeler said there were quite a few people who had large luggage, which only added to the space problem.

A V/Line spokesperson said Warrnambool's services were particularly popular on the weekend with passengers taking advantage of cheaper fares and the school holidays to travel around the state.

"The comfort and safety of passengers is our number one priority and we are continuing to explore all options to improve passenger experience for this coming weekend and beyond," the spokesperson said.

It was the busiest weekend since the COVID-19 pandemic on the V/Line network with patronage significantly up on the same weekend last year.

On the Warrnambool line, two classic fleet trains ran with four carriages instead of five over the weekend due to faults.

Urgent repairs are being conducted on these carriages to return them to service as soon as possible.

V/Line will review its bookings and reservations policies for long-distance lines to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose and continue to provide passengers with a variety of travel options with safety its "number one priority".

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