THE State Government announced this morning that passengers on the North East Line will soon enjoy faster, smoother journeys with the launch of a new timetable unlocking the benefits of major track works and new trains.
The new timetable for the trains to be introduced from August 28 will cut travel times by seven–to–27 minutes, with the changes made possible by the North East Line Upgrade and roll out of faster VLocity trains.
The first of the new six carriage VLocity train sets made its maiden trip in late December 2021, and the Department of Transport said in January the other two sets of six carriages would be operational by mid–year.
The latest announcement came as train services will be replaced by buses between Essendon and Broadmeadows from 9pm tonight to the last service on Sunday due to work as part of the recent level crossing remove in Glenroy, as well as maintenance to the Seymour and Shepparton lines.
All trains will also be replaced by buses between Essendon and Craigieburn from the first to the last service on Monday.
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The State Government reports that under the new timetable all six daily services will have shorter journey times, with early morning passengers enjoying savings of almost 20 minutes and those travelling on the evening 6.02pm service from Southern Cross arriving home to Albury close to half an hour earlier than before.
The new VLocity trains are part of the State Government's $340 million investment for 18 new trains including six standard–gauge trains for the Albury line.
The VLocity is the newest and fastest train in the V/Line fleet and has improved features including mobile signal boosters for better phone coverage and better
accessibility for people with prams or mobility aids.
The trains were designed and built especially for the Albury line based on feedback from local passenger representatives and feature bespoke catering facilities as well as extra luggage space and bike storage.
The start of the new timetable follows the end of essential maintenance work by the ARTC during August to further improve long term track reliability and will see all services on the Albury Line run by VLocity trains.
The new trains will soon commence stabling overnight at Albury Station after improvements funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments were completed, enabling all services on the line to run as VLocity trains.
New timetables and more information will be available from July 29, 2022 at ptv.vic.gov.au, vline.com.au and PTV's journey planner app.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said they're giving passengers on the Albury Line what they promised – new trains and faster, more comfortable
services.
"We are delivering a fast, reliable and more modern VLocity train service to more people in regional Victoria," she said.
