V/Line says about 117,000 trips have been taken on the Shepparton line since the start of the regional fare cap on March 31, describing the figure as a “significant increase on the same period in 2022”.
Since the introduction of fare cap there has been an average of 139 passengers per service compared to an average of 91 per service for the comparable period in 2022.
V/Line said a three-carriage VLocity train carries 212 passengers.
The regional fare cap permanently reduced the cost of a weekday daily ticket on the public transport network to $9.20 for a full fare or $4.60 concession.
It also extended the weekend saver cap for travel on Victoria’s regional network, meaning that on weekends and public holidays, a daily fare is capped at $6.70 for a full fare and $3.35 for concessions.
“The regional fare cap is continuing to be extremely popular with Victorians, with around 117,000 trips taken on the Shepparton line and more than $15 million saved by Victorian passengers since the start of the cap,” a V/Line spokesperson said.
“As part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to adding almost 200 additional weekend services to the regional network from 2024, weekend Shepparton line services will increase to five, and work is continuing on stage three of the Shepparton Line Upgrade, which will almost double the number of weekday services on the line.”
V/Line said there were already 10 extra weekly services on the Shepparton line as a result of upgrades, which it said were fast-tracked by almost 12 months.
It also said there were more than 20 additional coach services per week between Seymour and Shepparton to improve transport connections in the region.
The upgrades have allowed VLocity trains to be added to the line.
It said work was progressing on the third and most substantial stage of the project, which will deliver signalling and track upgrades to enable nine daily return services between Shepparton and Melbourne each weekday.
V/Line said patronage on the line was being monitored to improve the passenger experience, but there were no plans to introduce café bars to VLocity services.
It said 42 seats would be lost from the three-carriage VLocity train to install a café bar facility, or 84 seats per six-carriage train.
Passengers are able to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks on board V/Line services.
Meanwhile, coaches will replace some evening trains on the Seymour line at various times from Sunday, July 23 to Wednesday, August 2, due to continued works.
V/Line has advised passengers to allow an additional 60 minutes for their journey.
More information can be found at https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/disruptions/disruptions-information/article/seymour-line-coaches-replace-select-evening-trains-from-sunday-23-july-to-wednesday-2-august-2023