Commuters win back rail seats

By Elizabeth Lillis
A BACKDOWN by the State Government means passengers will again be able to ride VLine train services home to Pakenham.
The decision follows protests against a decision to stop Metcard passengers from boarding the 4.15pm and 5.35pm VLine weekday services from Melbourne to get off at Pakenham.
Fears of overcrowding on these services led to the ban last August and the move was enforced in the months after the ban.
Passengers lobbied politicians, wrote letters and took photos of nearempty train carriages to regain access to the services.
Passenger Darren English, from Pakenham, said a small group of regular passengers on the services had spread the word about the campaign to reaccess the services by passing flyers out on morning services and emailing any one with an interest.
Mr English said a fellow passenger took photos on the 4.15pm service between Southern Cross Station and Caulfield, which showed the carriages had only a small number of passengers each.
About 40 passengers were inconvenienced by not being able to board the VLine services.
Cardinia Shire councillor Brett Owen, who presented passenger concerns to the council, said the reversal of the ban was good news.
“It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the city, we do need more express services,” he said.
Cr Owen said he was glad common sense had prevailed. “What is the point of creating more car trips to the city,” he said. ‘It is not just Pakenham people who travel on the VLine. Cardinia Shire people from areas such as Lang Lang and Pakenham Upper access these services.”
Cardinia Shire Council wrote to the Transport Minister asking for the ban to be lifted.
Nar Nar Goon resident Iona McKinnon said she drove from Nar Nar Goon to access the VLine services regularly. She was happy to regain access.
The removal of the restriction was announced in a ticketing bulletin in late December. Approved by the acting Director of Public Transport, it said a survey of the services showed they were not congested.
“Customers with Metcards may travel on VLine services to and from Pakenham,” the bulletin said.
Bass MP Ken Smith said he was delighted to hear the news.
“It shouldn’t have been happening (the ban),” he said. Mr Smith said he had discussed the matter with new Transport Minister Lynne Kosky in the final week of Parliament last year.
The ban on Metcard ticket holders using the 4.15pm and 5.35pm VLine weekday services from Melbourne was lifted on 1 January.