Passengers will travel for free from Saturday, Jan. 23, until Jan. 31. Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has requested a review into the regional train service that has taken many trains off the tracks for wheel replacement. V/Line has been running more trains over many more kilometres of track after service changes and the wheel issues have prompted cancellations.
'Disappointingly V/Line have not put in place a changed maintenance regime to ensure that this wheel wear didn't occur,' Miss Allan told reporters on Wednesday.
Victoria will likewise need to pay $23 million to upgrade rural rail intersections after a level crossing gate failed. Vlocity trains, the newest in the V/Line fleet were banned temporarily from rural rail lines in Melbourne after one of the trains neglected to trigger boom gates and warning signals at a level crossing in Dandenong on Friday.
More than 60 trains were replaced with slower road buses on Tuesday and just about the same number again has been replaced on Wednesday. The issues have implied some regional residents are missing work or have been forced to take leave since they can't get into Melbourne.
Miss Allan said a safety report in 2013 recommended upgrades the past government overlooked, but opposition public transport representative David Hodgett approached the government to release all safety reports.
Mr. Hodgett said the past coalition government put in place axle counters when a level crossing failed on the Stony Point line in 2014. Miss Allan said it would take 6 months to put axel counters on 29 level crossings at an expense of $23 million.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said Metro Trains was in charge of keeping up the sensors that should be replaced with axle counters. Secretary Luba Grigorovitch said Metro had been running down maintenance budgets to prop up profits for its overseas owners. She also blamed the past state government for cutting money out of maintenance.
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