Article: More trains on way as passengers strive to avoid crowds

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More trains on way as passengers strive to avoid crowds

More trains on way as passengers strive to avoid crowds
Article from: Herald Sun

Ashley Gardiner

July 08, 2009 12:00am

MELBOURNE'S long-suffering commuters have changed their travel plans to avoid overcrowded trains.

The latest official passenger count, seen by the Herald Sun, shows the overall number of crowded trains across Melbourne has actually fallen 17 per cent in the past year.

But Department of Transport figures show Melbourne's busiest train service, the Pakenham line, has become more crowded.

Overcrowding has also worsened on the Craigieburn line, but elsewhere it has remained about the same or improved.

On average, 40 trains an hour were overcrowded in peak periods. A year ago, that figure was 48 an hour.

Booming train patronage across Melbourne means there are four times as many overcrowded trains as there were five years ago.

The findings are based on passenger counts in May.

Train patronage is still increasing, now at 11 per cent a year, but the rate of growth has started to slow after peaking at about 13 per cent.

The unprecedented growth in patronage has meant peak hours are spreading, sparking calls for more evening services.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said commuters wanted to avoid peak hour if they could. "It makes sense to try to spread the peak load," Mr Bowen said.

"After 7pm, most lines run trains only every half hour and the majority of those trains are crowded.

"We should be running more trains more often across the day to help people travel outside peak hour."

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said an additional 633 services a week had been added to the timetable since May 2007. "We are now starting to see that extra services are having a real impact on reducing crowding," Ms Kosky said.

"Almost 300 new services will start later this month and the roll-out of the 38 new trains begins in December.

"Combined with extra tracks and major infrastructure works we are able to add more services right across the network."

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder yesterday said Melbourne's new train operator would remove seats to accommodate more passengers.

Metro Trains Melbourne did not return calls.