CLOSE to a third of peak services on the Werribee train line are overcrowded, latest passenger load surveys reveal.
The surveys, conducted by Public Transport Victoria on 12 weekdays in October, found 10 of the line’s 31 peak period trains had passenger loads above the accepted level.
A train is considered to be overcrowded if it’s carrying more than 798 passengers.
In October 2011, just four peak services were considered to be overcrowded.
The number of trains on the line during peak periods in the past year has not increased. The surveys also found the number of passengers travelling on overloaded trains on the Werribee line had increased from 14.4 per cent in October 2011 to 34.8 per cent in October last year, making it Melbourne’s most congested line.
Overcrowding was worst on evening services, with 35.5 per cent of commuters using overcrowded trains, up from 7.9 per cent in the previous year.
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Point Cook commuter Peter Knight goes to Werribee station every day to ensure he gets a seat on his train to the city.
He said the government needed to increase services on the line.
‘‘I see people not bothering to even get on at Laverton and unable to get on at Newport nearly every morning.’’
A PTV spokeswoman said more services could run on the Werribee line once the Regional Rail Link was complete.
‘‘We know that Wyndham is rapidly expanding and that’s why the Regional Rail Link is such an important project. RRL will remove bottlenecks between Metro and V/Line trains by providing separate tracks through to the city, creating the extra capacity needed to boost the number of services on the Werribee line.’’
But Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland said commuters needed improved services now.
‘‘The western suburbs, like their neighbours in the east, should have the choice to avoid traffic congestion, leave the car at home and catch a train. We need more trains more often, with efficient bus and cycling connections,’’ she said.
