Two peak-time V/Line services on the Bendigo line are being provided with the added passenger capacity afforded by the addition of three new carriages to each service.
The 7.00am weekday service from Epsom to Southern Cross and the 5.53pm service from Southern Cross to Bendigo will be receiving the new VLocity carriages, doubling the number of passengers that can fit on the trains during at these busy times.
Patronage levels on the Bendigo line increased were 4% higher in the 2016/17 financial year than in 2015/16, and, in November this year alone, over 234,000 people used its train services, a increase of 12% compared to Octobers figures.
“We know Bendigo is growing – so we’re providing a record investment now and planning for the future,” Labor member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said.
“These new carriages will help boost capacity and provide a better service for local passengers.”
A total of eighty-seven VLocity carriages have now been ordered by the state government for Victoria’s regional train services, after the 2017/18 budget provided $311.1 million for an additional 39 new carriages on top of the pre-existing order of 48.
Thirty-one carriages have far been added to the V/Line network since October 2016, with some assigned to services on the Bendigo, Traralgon, Geelong, and Ballarat lines, and others are being used as maintenance spares to support busy sections of the network.
Victoria’s transport minister Jacinta Allan said that the additional capacity was among other beneficial developments for the regional line.
“We’re delivering new trains, a better Bendigo station and more services so people can get to and from Bendigo more comfortably and sooner,” Allan said.
Bendigo station is to be upgraded in 2018, with two community workshops being held earlier this month in an effort to gather feedback from the public. VicTrack is also exploring wider land-use opportunities in the Bendigo station precinct.