Line up for cuts

By Glen Atwell
CITY of Casey train commuters travel on the most unreliable lines in Melbourne.
A Liberal Party analysis shows train cancellations on the Cranbourne rail line rose 30 per cent last year, further frustrating commuters already cramming onto peak services.
Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder recently released a Liberal Party analysis of Melbourne’s train lines, based on Connex figures, which revealed cancellations on the short Dandenong to Cranbourne line had increased from 169 in 2006 to 220 in 2007.
But Mr Mulder said it was the huge increase in cancellations on the Pakenham line that had the most effect on Cranbourne train users.
“While cancellations on the short Dandenong to Cranbourne rail line rose by 30 per cent, the 147 per cent increase in cancelled Pakenham line trains affected Merinda Park and Cranbourne commuters as more passengers destined for stations such as Oakleigh and Clayton packed into Cranbourne trains,” he said.
The number of cancellations on the Pakenham line rose from 188 in 2006 to a whopping 466 in 2007, which was the highest number of cancellations in Melbourne, according to Mr Mulder.
He said the figures show the line, which runs through Berwick, Narre Warren and Hallam, was the most unreliable in Melbourne.
Mr Mulder said that local MP Jude Perera should hang his head in shame at Labor’s inability to provide Cranbourne commuters with a reliable train service. “Commuters have been paying more since 1 January but get fewer and slower trains,” he said.
“Two thousand three hundred more cancelled trains across Melbourne means thousands of train travellers are spending less time with their children, spouses and friends.”
Casey-Cardinia Communities for Public Transport spokesman Alex Makin said Cranbourne commuters continued to be shunned.
“The Brumby Government is still treating Cranbourne like a second-rate country outpost,” he said. “After 8pm, commuters still have to wait for hourly trains – it’s just not acceptable.
“Yet, despite receiving no significant increase in service levels, pubic transport users are paying more for their tickets,” Mr Makin said.
Connex chief executive Bruce Hughes said 7750 more services were delivered in 2007 than the previous year.
He said a mechanical issue with a new fleet of Siemens trains had caused considerable problems on several lines, including the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines.
“The number of cancellations in 2007 was far higher than we would have liked to have seen but the number of services we ran was impressive.”
Mr Mulder disagreed.
“Commuters have two choices – the increasingly congested CityLink and Monash Freeway or unreliable Pakenham and Cranbourne line trains,” he said.