Free travel has been offered to travellers on the Gippsland line after they were delayed and forced to board buses on Thursday due to a signalling fault which led to the suspension of train services.
Travel on the line was suspended just after 3pm on Thursday when a construction contractor damaged underground cables between Nar Nar Goon and Pakenham.
Gippsland V/Line Users Group convenor Natalie Thorne welcomed the compensation but said commuters were having their pay docked, receiving warnings from their employers for being late and could face losing their jobs due to ongoing disruptions.
“I think for some people it’s been incredibly frustrating, for others it’s been very distressing,” Ms Thorne said.
“But apart from that compensation we received during the wheel-wear issue, I can’t remember having compensation for major incidents like this so it’s very much welcomed and it makes us feel valued.”
Passengers affected by the disruption who travelled on the line between midday Thursday and all day Friday are eligible to claim a reimbursement for the fault which V/Line said was as a result of “third-party damage”.
“We have spoken to the contractor, they have apologised and as a sign of goodwill offered to compensate passengers on the Gippsland line,” Public Transport Victoria chief executive Jeroen Weimar said in a statement.
But Ms Thorne said ongoing disruptions were having a detrimental impact on commuters’ livelihoods with many being labelled “unreliable” due to frequent delays and disruptions.
“I think it’s enough in terms of compensation but it’s not in terms of the addressing the broader issue. We need a really good plan B.
“We need to work together with V/Line and I think that they’re slowly learning what that plan needs to be.”
Ms Thorne suggested stations such as Southern Cross and Pakenham could be earmarked as priority stations when an unplanned disruption occurred. Passengers would then know to travel to those stations for coach replacements.
Gippsland line passengers can apply for reimbursement by phoning the call centre on 1800 800 007, in person at a station or by completing an online reimbursement form.
When filling out the form, passengers will need to enter the details of their ticket and select “Special Consideration” as the reimbursement request option, and provide their dates of travel.
In a statement, a state government spokeswoman said “We apologise to Gippsland passengers for the delays they experienced yesterday [Thursday] and encourage all passengers to access the refund options that have been made available.”
