A interesting weekend as I got experience array of situations on the rail system
20/12/25 unstable sultry day was dog’s breakfast!!!
- VN10 was stabled at 3B when I arrived and good crowd was forming
- N452 couple up 06:55
- On board 07:26 and train leave bang on ime 07:39
- N452 couple up 06:55
- N12 from Swan Hill goes past our trains on the cross the short set with only 4 cars!
- in my observation that train should have 5 cars as the early morning service is often crowded toward the city especially when there is events on in the CBD etc during the year
- 10:02 arrived at Bendigo but we didn’t leave as expected.
- Conductor does a head count and I started to feel this was not normal.
PA advice train due technical issues train is delayed.
Shortly after PA sound agains and Swan Hill train is terminated at Bendigo!
10:16 the advice read as The 07:40 Southern Cross – Swan Hill service will end early at Bendigo and no longer run to Swan Hill.
What mess Free Travel & lots of people were travelling & very warm at Bendigo!
On hearing this I had made other plans and one them was not waiting for a coach to continue onward beyond Bendigo as I was going stay for bit and observe what happens before heading off to town for lunch!
- Train was emptied and coaches that was arranged to travel beyond Bendigo -Swan Hill & Mildura etc.
- Driver stuck around for the train movement into the siding before Bendigo station next to the shopping centre’s car park to get it off the mainline
On returning from lunch was surprised with what I saw at Bendigo as I thought the people had gone on the coaches!!!
Huh? why were coaches just arriving for Mildura and Beyond Bendigo?
The large crowd of passengers from my train was waiting for nearly 2 hrs in the heat!!! 🤯
- By the advice at the time the locomotive had suffered brake issues
- I understand that anything involving the braking system was deemed as safety critical item
- in railway safe working this can render the train unserviceable and unfit to carry passengers onboard.
11:15 V/Line website Advice comes out
The 13:35 Swan Hill – Southern Cross service will originate from Bendigo at 16:01 and not Swan Hill.
don’t think a big crowd of people will be happy being crammed in a 3×1 VLocity IMU rail car!
I watched the Loco N452 with N460 at Bendigo leave empty cars back Southern Cross to go the workshop
I decided to take the Southern Cross VLocity 3×2 back 15:25 as I was not fond of the idea of squashing myself in 3×1 VLocity or risk standing or sitting on the floor at 16:01 with the crowd from Swan Hill!
- 16:58–Digger rest track sections are brutal on the VLocity’s bogies & components!
- could hear the diaphragm between the cars and internals rattling around being shaken up as it goes faster then a old loco hauls!!!
- Felt the bump through the seat and was bounced to point It felt like the bogies spring bottomed out at one point.
- 17:07 Nearly stopped mid section just then VLoctiy felt the speed of the VLocity was reduced and took awhile to get moving!!
A clue on why the newer trains has problems on route?
As being bounced like that at high speed repeatedly in time doesn’t do it any good with repeated impact on connections within be it electrical or mechanical are often affect by the jarring impactive forces exerted on it.
17:35 advice from V/line Geelong on website on route when I got off the train was heading to Shepparton on 6A
Coaches are replacing trains between Wyndham Vale and Deer Park.
Further travel advice to follow.
The upside when I came back I saw VN10 being shunted by the Y class to the workshop after being detached from N452 and N460 set up to pull N12 to Swan Hill that evening on arrival on 3B!
Bedlam there!!! Customer staff and crew and crowds were on platform waiting for further advice
later near 18:00 on when looked some service could resume saw VLocity 3×2 leave on 3A and was so overcrowded seats all taken, people packed in tightly in it standing in Aisle and doorways!
Sadly I saw some people unable to board and missed their service as customer staff some deemed the train too crowded for them to board as I shuffled past 3B checking out the evening Swan Hill Service!
21/12/25-VN17 with loco N467
- A rather stormy Sunday and unstable weather on route VN17 was late shunting in the platform 07:27
- Coupled up 07:39 & 07:57 tech guys finished check it out to ensure the train was okay to run
- Boarded 08:00 BZN252 and ate breakfast and dozed off till Kyneton
- Lightning was seen and thunder was heard from train beforehand at the time whist in motion, it was not good feeling!
09:57 hard braking train slow down and stopped near the tunnel before Castlemaine!
Shortly after, train had stopped briefly10:00!
PA sounded “Customers do note they will slight delay due to lightning strike will advise as more info comes out.“
This impacted the return service from Swan Hill which happened to be N12 from Castlemaine!
V/line notifications came out shortly after:
Service Delay – Bendigo line
The 06:54 Swan Hill – Southern Cross service is delayed by 20 minutes due to a safety incident. We are sorry for the delay in your journey. [10:15 21/12]
Beside that hiccup and arriving at 13:16 at Swan Hill it was a lot better than the day before!!!
It was very nice relaxing return after…..a good day’s outing pulled in 21:14 and saw VN14 in middle road with BZN266!
As 16/12 had VN14 and notice only 4 cars and wonder what happen to the other BZN? As she’s missing a carriage!!!
I haven’t seen that carriage since it was on N12 and now VN14 is now 5 cars!!!
As soon we boarded, VN14 suddenly has intermittent issue shut down loses power light air-conditioning and after reseting it they got us off and gave us VN17 in it’s place!
As currently on their working timetable for weekdays and weekends is two loco haul carriage sets making up the haul train service at the moment that go all the way to and foe to Swan Hill one in morning and one early evening on rotating basis on the public roster!
Credit to those all involved :
for the hard work involved shunt in spare set on standby by in Melb yard and coupling N460 and train control able to arrange a path to run the service, better in then usual procedure which often a VLocity and coach for the service!
Despite the messy start of 07:39 and late arrival at Swan Hill service returned to Southern Cross that day on time 18:11
It seem from my observations and was advise there are currently 4 sets covering VN10, VN14 ,VN17 and N12 the Swan Hill and few locos for unforeseen issues that occur without warning!
Conclusion:
but again to some there’s no harm adding one more to reduce a the fact since the change of rolling stock it can be rostered in for substitute train in place of the repeated coach replacements on the long suffering Warrnambool and Gippsland line since it’s removal late last year Apr 25 since all were replaced on regular runs.
Commuter chaos across the Geelong line, with a number of train services cancelled on Monday morning due to delayed train crew.
V/Line were unable to confirm whether or not further services would be cancelled.
Pretty rough for them to point it the train crew, as they operate the trains and when issues on route happen out their control ie: Rail Equipment Faults of cause they will get stuck on the trains!!!
- As Mon early morning I became aware of issues checking on Vline Geelong track status on their website it read why did I read animal strike messed up the Geelong Line on Monday?
- When animal strikes occur in the the system on a train, the train has taken out of service to the bio wash for cleaning and inspected for damage
- I understand there two of them around the state doing this service Nth Dynon and Bendigo
- Currently there’s Workshop Melb Yard, Nth Dynon Bendigo, Pakenham and Ballarat by what I am aware of currently.
- Since it 20 min between services on the Geelong line and when things goes wrong the knock on effect on the line of service going both way can be quite chaotic….
- as some lines currently are single track operations both ways with crossing loops ie: the Tunnel near Geelong and beyond Waurn Ponds!
- I experience this a Waurn Pond service arrived at Waurn Ponds from Southern Cross, somehow lost a bit of time and after that had services terminating at Marshall and Originating from Marshall!
- How we manage to lose time to mess up the other service behind I don’t know!
- I got back okay to and from Warun Ponds, but the other services behind our VLocity debatable….
25/12/25 : ride on Christmas day I had VN17 all went well until the train was vandlised mid route before Bendigo 19:44 notification came out!
Service Delay-Bendigo line
The 16:35 Swan -Southern Cross service is by 23 minutes due to vandalism. We sorry for the delay in your journey. [19:44 25/12]
- After arriving 40 min behind time I shuffled off beside the train as I left 3B I saw the broken interior window inside the ACN of VN17
- Strangley, because of late running I thought saw a PH Van and 4 cars which is N12 behind the loco of the service heading to Swan Hill when the website showed it 5 cars unless it’s VN10 with one less car before Kyneton!
- Was puzzled on why they decided to use the same set the day after which some were aware of a broken window on that particular set when they was spares in the yard VN14 and N12?
Live Disruptions
Service Alert -Bendigo Line
The 07:40 Southern Cross – Swan Hill will end early at Bendigo and no longer to Swan Hill due to Vandalism. Passenger travelling Bendigo can board replacment coaches between Bendigo and Swan Hill to complete their journery. We are sorry for the delay in your journey. [05;30 26/12]
As the time it take to run them empty cars movements to each workshop facilities in Vic considering the backlog and time it take to wash, inspect repair it when required wouldn’t be prudent to add a few more set on standby and outdate locos and carriage set recommissioned could do for state a state in debt?
As more people are using it as the population is increasing so must the fleet and ground staff etc. as until Vic stabilises with the $$$ sided beggars can’t be choosers when come rolling stock availability when come resolving shortages!
As what I seen and experienced with the widely touted Free Travel from Government officials it’s pointless to do this when there not enough rolling stock in the system!
