Passenger loading survey results from Public Transport Victoria have fuelled renewed calls for more trains on the Sunbury Metro line.
The latest survey, which recorded the average passenger numbers on metropolitan train and tram services, found that 46 per cent of morning services on the Sunbury line in the year to May 2016 were overcrowded.
Data for the corresponding 2014-15 year revealed that the same Sunbury morning services exceeding benchmark standards of loading were at 43.2 per cent. Overcrowding on Metro and V/Line trains has been a contentious issue in Sunbury since electrification of the V/Line service in 2012 and the axing of some trains to the region last year.
State Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn, a Bulla resident, said the only way the situation could be resolved was if the government “stops ignoring Sunbury”.
“This is an issue that’s been around for a very long time and is not going away,” Mr Finn said.
“This has not snuck up on anyone. It’s about time this government started spending some money on the Sunbury line. We need more trains. The only thing they’ve done for Sunbury is take away train services.”
A PTV spokesman said the survey findings helped pinpoint when and where passenger loads on Melbourne’s train lines and tram routes were at their highest. The information determined when and where extra capacity may be needed to reduce crowding.
“The government is ordering 84 new trains, removing 50 dangerous and congested level crossings, installing smarter signalling and building the Metro tunnel, which will create space for tens of thousands of extra passengers in peak hour,” he said.
The spokesman said the projects would allow more trains to and from Sunbury and right across Melbourne, reducing waiting, crowding and delays. “PTV is working with the department and Metro to develop timetable changes that will help reduce overcrowding on trains at peak times,” he said.
The government has ordered 65 new high-capacity trains for the new Sunbury to Cranbourne-Pakenham line created by the Metro tunnel.
