A call to boost capacity on overcrowded VLocity trains running between Albury and Melbourne has been dismissed by the Victorian government.
Once you move away from coaches that can be added and removed from the consist to provide more capacity you are locked into a world of increasing capital costs to provide additional capacity.
Albury V/Line hitting a 68% market share against air travel for a 3h35m journey – one of the few rail services in Australia that is competitive against driving. – Hotrails
V/Line removed capacity from the route when they moved from more spacious and higher seated capacity trains to the 25 year old Vlocity trains that have not really worked on that route.
Train patronage 84,300 at Albury Station + 60,400 at Wodonga = 144,700. Air patronage 223,100 ABX total – 156,400 ABX-SYD = 66,700 ABX-MEL (ABX-MEL not in the top-50 national routes as reported by BITRE)
The Albury service deserves better than what they are getting and a Vlocity train is already 25 years old and not suitable for many longer trips in Victoria. Speeding up the line would also add value to the service.
The North-East Line should probably have its own proper fleet.
And market share would be even higher if V/Line actually had enough standard gauge trains to carry the number of intending passengers, let alone those discouraged from last minute travelling because they’d have to stand the entire way.
This issue stems from their Overseer Rolling Stock and ticketing person from DOT, he is more versed on smaller rail systems like SA and WA and applying the “One Size Fits All” concept in a state with more extensive rail network and both Metro and Regional Services….he is versed on Metro but not Regional……
V/line fight every issue customers have and gaslight them on quality of rollingstock.
No mention by the usual anonymous that the accommodation in the aeroplanes from Albury to Melbourne and Sydney is likely a lot worse than the VLocity’s and even the XPT.
You don’t have the stand on the aeroplane.
Hi Brian, seem some people are confusing air travel with train travel….
Airplane faster and cover more distance and people can tolerate cramped condtions for short periods 1-3 hrs. state to state!
Whist on a train, it take more time to cover more distances state to state due to the fact it will never beat a plane’s top speed….
On Planes people don’t need to stand….
On a trains it is highly unacceptable travelling condtions to stand or sit on the floor and subjected no refreshments on route…..for 3-4+hrs to Albury!!!
On other states, train got sleeping, bathing facilities and place to strech out and eat on board for a trip lasting more 10+ hrs or days on to terminatin stations: Sydney to Perth etc!
We are talking about overcrowding on the passenger rail service. What has the flight between Albury and Melbourne got to do with it?
People want to use the train and that cannot.