Boosted Metro peak and V/Line timetables start today

Archived item from PTV website advertising increased peak train services on Metro lines. These saw additions for the Craigieburn, Hurstbridge, Sunbury and Werribee lines.

Altona passengers would also be able to travel through to city interpeak without changing at Newport (that used to be the case but a timetable change several years previous made Altona services into shuttles). 

https://web.archive.org/web/20170825132407/https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/getting-around/network-changes/metropolitan-train-changes/

V/Line services also got a major lift across the state. Most notable was Geelong (and thus also the Regional Rail Link stations) going from every 60 to every 40 minutes. That was overdue given the weekday timetable interpeak was every 20 minutes. Ballarat and Bendigo gained a neater weekend timetable with regular hourly departures plus some later evening trips. And many more trains got scheduled to stop at Deer Park. 

Further information is here: https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2017-08-27-connectivity-updates/

Note: Item retrospectively added for historical purposes. 

New 343 bus starts today

Although the area around Greensborough, Eltham, St Helena and Hurstbridge is less densely populated than the average Melbourne suburb and has a lot of fairly quiet bus routes, it punches above its weight with regard to the extent that local MPs have been able to win projects and improved services for their constituents.

An infrastructure example is the Hurstbridge line duplication and upgrade. Service examples include a surprisingly large number of bus improvements while areas with higher social needs or patronage potential went without. Bus route planning in the area has invariably added new routes over an existing unchanged network, contributing to a lot of buses not necessarily carrying many people. 

Bus route 343 between Greensborough and Hurstbridge was intended to compensate Hurstbridge for having trains only every 40 minutes. That started today. 

More details here: https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2017-06-19-343-greensborough-hurstbridge-link/

Note: This item was retrospectively written for posterity. 

New peak trains on Werribee, Sunbury and Craigieburn lines from 27 August 2017

17 May 2017 media release here 

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/thirty-new-metro-peak-trains-every-week-august

Wednesday 17 May 2017

The Andrews Labor Government will add 30 new Metro train services in the peak, every week – to get people in Melbourne’s north and west home safer and sooner.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announced the new services today, which will be introduced as part of a new metropolitan timetable that will start on 27 August.

The timetable will add a new morning and evening peak services on the Craigieburn, Sunbury and Werribee lines.

These services will create room for 27,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, every week – when more room and more services are needed most.

In a massive boost for Altona Loop passengers, 37 daily services that currently stop at Newport will be extended in the new timetable.

The change fulfils the Labor Government election commitment to fully restore the direct city services for Altona Loop passengers the former Liberal Government took away.

Two peak services on the Hurstbridge line will be extended – also fulfilling a key election promise – providing more services for passengers in Rosanna, Macleod, Watsonia, Greensborough, Montmorency and Eltham.

The new services are made possible by the Labor Government’s ongoing investment in new trains for Melbourne.

It’s the fourth metropolitan timetable change implemented by the Labor Government, which has added more than 300 extra metro services and nearly 600 new regional services – delivering more trains, more often for people in Melbourne’s growing outer suburbs serviced by the V/Line network

The Labor Government has invested nearly $4 billion in new trains since it came to office, including 19 new X’Trapolis trains and 65 new high-capacity metro trains.

The Government is also getting on with the job of building the Metro Tunnel, removing dangerous level crossings and installing new high-tech signalling to run more trains, more often.

Two minutes will be added to services on the Frankston Line in the new timetable, in preparation for the opening of Southland Station later this year, and the timing of connecting buses will be adjusted to align with train services.

The new train timetables will be available in July from ptv.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

"We’re running more trains at peak hour – when extra services and more room are needed most."

"The new services will make a real difference – getting people to work quicker and home sooner."

"We’re adding services and delivering the major projects our network needs – we’re getting on with the job.

Note: This post has been added retrospectively to assist historical research. The release text has been pasted in case anything happens to the original.