Riding up and down the mainline I noticed the rail corridor has being ripped up at Sth Kensington
Now the points removed for other operators to use a those line are now limited for Metro Tunnel Services…
In theory this look good on paper but seems a bit short sighted as it seems look it was decision made by a PT advisor who doesn’t even use the metro or suburban lines!!!
- Train control for both Metro and V/Line service are impacted by this removal of alternative routes at event of delays occurring around the areas.
- This is bottle neck of major lines branching out serving not only Metro & V/Line Services to South western, Western Northern part of Vic.
- When disruptions occurs the knock on effect can last for hours delaying every train in both directions.
- This is bottle neck of major lines branching out serving not only Metro & V/Line Services to South western, Western Northern part of Vic.
- Metro has disruption or delay it ends effecting a V/Line services.
On board N12 08:19 outward bound slow speed, being in Metro area of the system I felt it was track congestion causing the delay.
” This happen on the Swan Hill Service I was on board 15/7/26“
The Swan Hill and other service are often sharing the rail corridor and metro service sometime in next few sections stopping all stations
Past few mths I noticed when there’s disruptiom when impact those areas all train both direction are impacted both directions.
Here a few examples of delays of the service the line I was on board I feel that maybe the case with the other lines too!
- In this case with 15/7 the train ran 30 min late due to hold up in Metro areas…the train caught up time but arrived at Swan Hill 12:44.…but left Swan Hill slightly late and return after it run 18:25
- 16/7/2026-VN17 ran mostly on time most of the trip
- On the retun after Albion Station
- train Stopped at red signal 18:05PA confirmed my thoughts track congestion!
- Waited for two HCMTs to pass all because points removal near Sth Kensington
- V/Line share track with Metro and less alt route for Centro to route regional service.
- Arrived 18:33 Southern Cross.
- 16/7/2026-VN17 ran mostly on time most of the trip
- Since the Metro Tunnel Opened coincidently it why does I noticed more track congestion on the Bendigo Line and other lines that serve the areas it clashes with their V/Line service timetable?
Most the V/Line service really slow down when approaching it look like a big bottle neck from Footscray onward for other services both directions.
Currently the V/Line services having to wait briefly at Footscray for metro train to depart or arrive as Footscray serves a good number of metro service in and out the these heavily congested areas.
This excludes the Metro Tunnel which mostly isolated at Middle Footscary,Footscray Nth Melbourne etc. underground off Sth Kengsington
10 of Aug Track fault at Footscray and the whole system has gone down and major delays are happening at the moment.
It look when there faults in those areas no now longer alt routes to reroute train services as those points & rails are gone where they removed it near Sth Kensington.
It seem to look that decision to remove it maybe needed reviewed as it looked a very carelessly thought out decision.
As when Track Faults occurs this a example of all train being halted both direction in and out the city and major disruption is the end result!
Service disruptions
10/08/2026 – Western, South Western, Northern Lines Major Delay
10 Aug 2026
Major delays – Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo Lines
UPDATE: 10:27
Services will continue to be delayed due to a track fault at Footscray.
Passengers are advised to board the next departing services to complete their journey.
We anticipate services to be impacted until clearance time is given with an extended journey time of up to 150 minutes.
The following services have been altered:
To Southern Cross:
The 06:10 Ararat – Southern Cross service is delayed 110 minutes.
The 06:27 Warrnambool – Southern Cross is delayed 66 minutes.
The 06:55 Wendouree – Southern Cross service is delayed 126 minutes.
The 06:59 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service is delayed 127 minutes.
The 07:07 Maryborough – Southern Cross service is delayed 59 minutes.
The 07:20 South Geelong – Southern Cross service is delayed 123 minutes.
The 07:21 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service is delayed 115 minutes.
The 07:23 Echuca – Southern Cross service will end early at Sunbury.
The 07:29 Bacchus Marsh – Southern Cross service is delayed 123 minutes.
The 07:39 Wendouree – Southern Cross service is delayed 99 minutes.
The 07:40 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross is delayed 101 minutes.
The 07:47 Bendigo – Southern Cross service is delayed 47 minutes.
The 07:53 Kyneton – Southern Cross service is delayed 83 minutes.
The 07:57 Wyndham Vale – Southern Cross service is delayed 117 minutes.
The 07:59 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service is delayed 83 minutes.
The 08:03 Melton – Southern Cross service is delayed 84 minutes.
The 08:12 Bacchus Marsh – Southern Cross service is delayed 99 minutes.
The 08:17 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service is delayed 60 minutes.
The 08:36 Wyndham Vale – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 08:38 Wedouree – Southern Cross service is delayed 42 minutes.
The 08:39 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 08:42 Melton – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 09:01 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service is delayed 35 minutes.
The 09:02 Melton – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 09:30 South Geelong – Southern Cross is delayed 21 minutes.
The 09:50 Melton – Southern Cross service is delayed 25 minutes.
The 10:47 Ballarat – Maryborough will not run today.
The 14:57 Maryborough – Ballrat service will not run today.
The 08:36 Wyndham Vale – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 09:02 Melton – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 09:58 Wendouree – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 10:10 South Geelong – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 10:21 Waurn Ponds – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 10:30 Melton – Southern Cross service will not run today.
The 11:18 Wendouree – Southern Cross service will originate at Ballarat at 11:24.
From Southern Cross:
The 07:53 Southern Cross – Ararat service is delayed 71 minutes.
The 08:15 Southern Cross – Melton service will not run today.
The 08:30 Southern Cross – South Geelong service will not run today.
The 08:36 Southern Cross – Wendouree service is delayed 16 minutes.
The 08:50 Southern Cross – Waurn Ponds service will not run today.
The 09:01 Southern Cross – Bendigo service will not run today.
The 09:16 Southern Cross – Wendouree service will not run today.
The 09:36 Southern Cross – Melton service will not run today.
The 10:02 Southern Cross – Eaglehawk service will originate at Sunbury at 10:35 and not Southern Cross.
The 10:12 Southern Cross – Warrnambool service is delayed on departure.
Observation:
I feel that the person[s] who made the decision was lacking data on site or was given poor data before going ahead with major decision that impacted all traveller and operator who oversee the train movements in the area.
Before doing a major change of the railway corridor I feel that the best people for these people to talk to are those on coal face.
- The people who as a profession oversee the train moving around the area and those who operate those services in and out the areas they were wanting to change may be good place to start.
I felt they shouldn’t rely on one source alone ie: advisors who not familiar of the local railway conditions in VIC, AUS and may not travel regularly on the system in uncontrolled settings but include the coal face who are work in that area for raw data on site!
Their trains opeations did not resume until 16:45 during the peak hr
Train services have resumed at Footscray.
We are sorry for the delay to your journey.
Do you think this could being avoided?
We now know there is no proper planning at all in this under performing government department who’s only plan is to cripple the rail network.
Melbourne uni has their open day this weekend and the network is closed. No trains running yet again on a tunnel that has more downtime than the city loop.
It is quite pathetic actually.
Hi Richard, do you get the impression that they are captured by the trucking and avation tranport groups?
As I observed most MPs and their advisors pefered mode of tranport is road via commonwealth car and tax funded plane 1st class of cause…..
Wouldn’t they all sqawk blood murder if their mode of tranports was butchered the same way as the railways? eh?
We wouldn’t hear the end of it on MSM!
How much did this vandalism of a vital main line cost Victorian’s?
We now know why metro trains have been voted the worst operator in Australia year after year.
Why can’t line use other tracks for V/Line services makes no sense.
Because they h e removed the track the spastics.
This decision will only further damage the rail network ensuring low productivity and higher delays across the network. It is already one of the worst run networks in the modern world.
Great article on the reasons why transport does not work. What idiots who remove the network to create single points of failure?
Ramsay,
Thanks for your feed back.
As it to seem look that was due to PT advisors of MP who not proud enough to even ride their newly “upgraded” areas in the network to gauge their decision and refine the teething problems that may occur whist a in the first few mths of introducing it!