{"id":367482,"date":"2026-02-13T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T04:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=367482"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:17:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T04:17:02","slug":"train-service-quality-control-suffers-on-swan-hill-line-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=367482","title":{"rendered":"Train Service Quality Control suffers on Swan Hill Line why?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Quote from the V\/Line website: 12\/2\/2026 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">The 07:38 Swan Hill Service will end early and will no longer run to Swan Hill&#8230;on opening the link reason: Train Fault<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">This can be a very misleading to general public it wasn&#8217;t train fault that caused this as one was aware there is spare set in the yard available for the run!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One arriving at 3B I saw<strong> VN10<\/strong> at the yard and somehow there was  word going they had training run taking place that a week ago \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One arriving that morning I had advice a VLocity and Bus was in place of the full run to Swan  that day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">The gossip online is now verified true after <em> arriving  on the 07:01 Echuca Service<\/em> that driver training had taken place N460 leading VN10 [empty] was now at Platform 2!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>VN10 is  x4 cars as one was in repairs they day before it had few electrical issue on route the day before!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I was waiting at<strong> <em>Bendigo Statio<\/em>n<\/strong> ready for  the returning service from <strong><em>Swan Hill 09:18<\/em><\/strong> which I had a feeling it would be <strong>N12!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">On pulling in what did I see? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>N12 with Loco N452!!!<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">I would say it was a wild coincidence <strong>N12<\/strong> was shuffling around as there was 2 other sets to consider as well that are rotated on a regular basis as required!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Here is the link to verify they are hiring trainee driver currently the selection close 17th Feb 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/phe.tbe.taleo.net\/phe03\/ats\/careers\/v2\/viewRequisition?org=VLINE&amp;cws=38&amp;rid=14471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">https:\/\/phe.tbe.taleo.net\/phe03\/ats\/careers\/v2\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>After my short ride on N12 headed off 3B for 13:30 Waurn Ponds through the windows of the VLocity saw N460 &amp; VN10 rolling past returning from Bendigo!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.16-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-367590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.16-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.16-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.16.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">N460 and VN10 at Bendigo empty car taken whist waiting for the up service<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Questions:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I don&#8217;t understand why should a training run impact a revenue services to such a degree that the service to <strong>Swan Hil<\/strong>l is no longer full train service and the <strong>quality control of service <\/strong> is seemly less?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why  is  that it look they no longer consider the Rail user&#8217;s needs with a abrupt change of  rolling arrangements from the usual loco haul service  only to reduce it to <strong>&#8220;not fit for purpose&#8221;<\/strong> VLocity IMU Rail Car and coaches beyond Bendigo?\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The VLocity rostered for the run was one the worse choices  of rolling stock due to those very hard metro grade foam cushioned seats!!! <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Riding those seats for  longer route as with some travellers after long ride to terminating points  not only cramped but narrow : Warrnambool etc. it made my bottom sore and numb too!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em> <strong>After a long ride one get up off them seats one&#8217;s bottom would flat &amp; square as those bookshelves in the library! (sarcasm!)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Whoever approved the design of the Metro grade seats to be used for longer distance routes obviously has not ridden on them for the full duration of the journey in uncontrolled setting with people on board in VLocity sitting  next them!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>One would thought the Operator would run the revenue service concurrently with the training runs<\/strong>&#8230;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Would it be prudent to have another set to accommodate for training runs in total <strong>5 sets min?<\/strong> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As on <strong>6\/2\/2026 <\/strong> when they did a training run with <strong>VN10<\/strong> when 2x  set were out for repairs  and there was no set available for the revenue morning service for<strong> Swan Hill<\/strong> that period. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In that period it was happening <strong>VN14<\/strong> as out for repairs with <strong>N12 <\/strong>pulled from service and <strong>VN17 <\/strong>in use for the evening service the day before!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It seem they might done the same thing on<strong> 13\/2\/2026<\/strong> as the advice is the same is the <strong>12\/2\/2026 <\/strong>which it really pushing it, as some people would get very annoyed they are not running the full train service and are contracting the use of coaches flippently when one has good number of  luggages to lug to and foe from the VLocity and coaches, sourcing food and drink with little time  and  requiring moblitiy access assitance at short notice!\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>One can understand the use of coaches when there track works and major safety cirtical disruptions on route<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>But this seems to be a callous uncaring way of managing fleet avablity by those involed in postion of responsblity when there is spare sets and locomotive in the yard!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.34-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-367591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.34-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.34-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-13-13.47.34.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">VN10 ready for Swan Hill but at late noticed was allocated for training run to Bendigo with N460<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>I think it very good they are recruiting more drivers<\/em>.so why should they be shy of showing this to general public the are expanding their crew?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">In doing this so they might need more yard staff as well to accommodate the growing fleet!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/phe.tbe.taleo.net\/phe03\/ats\/careers\/v2\/viewRequisition?org=VLINE&amp;cws=38&amp;rid=14471\" title=\"\">viewRequisition?org=VLINE&amp;cws=38&amp;rid=14471<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whoever approved the design of the Metro grade seats to be used for longer distance routes obviously has not ridden on them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":367592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,16018,17684,186],"tags":[10852,19563,993,12406,8],"class_list":["post-367482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rail-news","category-training-recruitment","category-transport-victoria","category-v-line","tag-bendigo","tag-crewtraining","tag-melbourne","tag-rail-advent","tag-victoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=367482"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367596,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367482\/revisions\/367596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/367592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=367482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=367482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=367482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}