Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder has told State Parliament there has been “fantastic improvement” to train services on the Altona Loop section of the Werribee line, raising the ire of commuters who have complained to Metro, Public Transport Victoria and the Ombudsman about their experiences.
Mr Mulder lauded the benefits of people travelling through zones 1 and 2 being able to travel on a zone 1 fare from next year.
In a reference to Tarneit Labor MP Tim Pallas, Mr Mulder cited “Tim from Tarneit” who “knows that punctuality on the Werribee line has risen from 75.2 per cent in April 2010 to 90.6 per cent in April 2014”.
Mr Mulder, in a reference to opposition MP Jill Hennessy, then gave the example of “another prominent individual from Altona” who “arrives home at Williams Landing”.
“They pay $12.12 for a daily commute, and they will save around $5 a day from January 2015,’’ Mr Mulder said.
‘‘When that person arrives home at Williams Landing station, they are greeted by protective services officers on the platform before connecting with one of 2120 bus services around Point Cook that have been introduced by the Coalition.
“On board the train they hear that Altona Loop bypasses have fallen from 1004 in 2010 to 320 in 2013, a fantastic improvement in that part of the metropolitan area. They also get the opportunity to enjoy one of 181 extra weekly train services on the Werribee line.”
But Altona Loop Group spokeswoman Jennifer Williams said there would be no benefit for Altona commuters next year.
“Altona is a zone 1 or zone 2 station depending on which direction you travel,” she said. “Altona residents pay zone 1 to travel to the city already. If travelling to zone 2 from Altona, you only pay zone 2 fares.
“The minister failed to mention the many times Altona Loop passengers were dumped at Newport station because trains were running late. The bypasses may have reduced, at the expense of being dumped and waiting at least another 22 minutes for the next Laverton service.’’
Altona commuter Kate Witton labelled Mr Mulder’s comments “ridiculous” and said “last week, again, Altona Loop trains were dumped at Newport”.
“At Newport, we had the entire 5.14pm service jump on our train and it was completely packed,’’ Ms Witton said.
“Altona Loop customers have not benefited at all because we are constantly disregarded as soon as something goes wrong or is delayed on the Werribee service.’’
Ms Hennessy said people were “sick of being kidnapped … taken without pre-warning before they board, beyond their intended destination and made to find their way back.”
