The Metro rail service to Sunbury could be dramatically improved without putting on extra trains, according to a proposal prepared by a train driver.
Sunbury’s Steve Coughlan has used publicly available data to create a timetable that could potentially provide the town with full Metro coverage, extending all services from Watergardens. Until now, Sunbury has received about half the Metro services travelling to Watergardens. ‘
‘A lot of it is just utilising layover time that’s now wasted,’’ Mr Coughlan said.
The proposal, which he said complied with Metro work practices, was prepared in response to Public Transport Victoria’s (PTV) decision to ban Sunbury commuters from travelling on V/Line trains.
Restrictions will not be enforced until next January, but passengers are being actively discouraged from boarding V/Line services.
The changes, prompted by completion of the Regional Rail Link, are aimed at reducing overcrowding on Bendigo-bound trains.
The government recently added 10 extra Sunbury peak-time Metro services a week with a promise of more to come.
But critics say the changes, with access to more than 200 services to be removed, are unfair to Sunbury passengers.
Mr Coughlan said that as a father of three he considered extra Metro services the best option for the town.
‘‘If they’re going to need to go to university, V/Line is great for peak periods, but once you get into those off-peak periods there’s a lot of waiting around stations,’’ he said.
‘‘Youth unemployment is also a huge problem here, and a lot of that is the inability to get to where the jobs are.’’
Mr Coughlan’s proposal is supported by Sunbury-based Hume councillor Jack Medcraft, who urged Transport Minister Jacinta Allan to reinstate off-peak V/Line services and deliver extra Metro trains.
As reported by Star Weekly, Sunbury Train Association members were buoyed by a recent meeting with representatives of PTV and the office of Ms Allan.
A spokesman for Ms Allan said extension of Watergardens services was among a range of options being considered.
