By AIDAN KNIGHT AND BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
IN a major bid to relieve cost-of-living pressures, the state government made all public transport across metropolitan and V/Line services free across April and May.
The measure was introduced as fuel costs climbed due to international supply shocks, with the government aiming to “take pressure off the demand at the petrol pump”
The move was thought to cost in excess of $70 million after being extended from its initial one month to two, according to Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams.
Train station ticket barriers remained open throughout the period, allowing travellers to move through without needing to tap on or off.
This saw April becoming the busiest recorded month of public transport patronage since 2019, but also saw V/Line punctuality drop to 86.5 per cent on the Gippsland Corridor.
V/Line has a set target of 92 per cent, and a reliability target of at least 96 per cent – which also saw a slight drop to 94 per cent in the month of April.
The Gippsland Line saw a few disruptions across the free travel period. While the data shows a network under strain, Gippsland passengers say the lived experience of free travel was often far more confronting than the statistics suggest.
One Traralgon-line passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Express that free travel coincided with some of the most stressful experiences they had ever had on the line.
They described travelling with their 84-year-old father on April 23, when the pair was attempting to meet on the Gippsland V/Line service to attend a cancer–related medical appointment in Dandenong.
The commuter boarded at Morwell to find only three carriages in service, with one reserved for a school excursion. By Moe, both available carriages were already full, including standing room.
Their father was waiting at Pakenham to board the same train, but as the service approached, overhead announcements began warning passengers that the train was full.
When he attempted to board, a staff member told him he would not be allowed on. When he explained he was meeting his daughter on board, the staff member replied, “Well, she will have to get off then.”
The commuter said her visibly frail father panicked at the prospect of being left behind. The pair made a plan that if he couldn’t board, she would get off at Pakenham and they would attempt the trip again via Metro.
“I was disgusted,” she said. “There were only three carriages on a weekday service, and people were already standing by Moe.”
She noted that on her return journey later that afternoon, the same corridor was operating with six carriages and ample seating.
“It wasn’t even peak time. I got on at Pakenham at 2pm, and everyone had a seat. There is no reason not to have sufficient carriages – it’s planning that is the issue, especially when there’s a pre-booked carriage.”
The same commuter used the service again on April 27, this time finding a longer train and clearer communication about carriage length. But accessibility issues persisted.
She said announcements were made on board advising passengers to move forward to exit, but no equivalent announcements were made on platforms – leaving older passengers and those with limited mobility scrambling to reposition themselves.
“At Dandenong, the train stopped right at the end of the platform without warning,” she said. “Everyone waiting near the station doors, out of the wind, had to rush down the platform. People with limited mobility really struggled. Communication costs nothing.”
The Express spoke with V/Line Chief Executive William Tieppo in the fourth week of free travel, on the issue of overcrowding on the Gippsland line.
“Obviously, with the free travel, the lines have been very popular and busy,” he said.
“Where we’ve been able to we’ve built up some of the three-car sets to six-car – where we know that it has been busy, and as part of that we’ve been sure we’ve got stand-by coaches just in case.”
Mr Tieppo told the Express he felt prepared when the state government announced the decision, thanks to the high-experience ratio to station staff across the board. He noted their specific focus on ensuring priority passengers secured a seat in such overcrowded conditions and did not hesitate to roster additional staff to prioritise this.
As the barriers closed and fares returned, the free travel period left behind more than record patronage figures – it also reignited questions over whether Victoria’s regional rail network can cope with growing demand without sacrificing reliability.
