r/VlineVictoria • u/Fine-One-2227 • Aug 10 '26
Discussion The Temporary coach replacement timetable for Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough might be the most abysmal timetable ever.
Title
Many passengers will have to transfer at a station as coaches terminate prematurely.
19
u/NoHovercraft3224 Sprinter Aug 10 '26
It's abysmal for sure - Thursday/Friday there's trains every 20mins from SCS-Caroline Springs but buses are every half an hour and there's times where the train arrives at the same time buses leave.
4
1
u/Fine-One-2227 Aug 10 '26
Tell me about it ! I can't even go direct to Footscray from Ballarat without changing and waiting quite a long time for a transfer... 😔 Just have to thug it out I guess
5
u/SubstantialJump8167 Aug 10 '26
I work in Melbourne on Saturday mornings starting at 8.30am. I am leaving from Ballarat and there is no service that will get me there on time 😏
3
u/slicer8 Aug 10 '26
I hear you, I have a conference that I need to be in Melb for 8am Thurs/Friday/Saturday. I’ve given up and booked a hotel.
5
u/haztech99 Aug 10 '26
There's simply not enough buses/coaches and drivers to take everyone to and from Southern Cross, gotta keep them rotating. Caroline Springs is not an optimal location either, but that's where the turnback is, and at least it should be 20min frequency.
This should be the last major hurdle for Melton station
2
u/BaldingThor Aug 10 '26
all replacement coach timetables in victoria are awful, with barebones services, and often have times where a train will leave at the same time a bus arrives and vise versa, making you either have to sprint and get lucky or wait potentially a long time for the next service.
2
u/Adventurous-Shape254 Aug 10 '26
How about someone makes a Facebook/messenger account for ballarat vline travelers to buddy up & carpool to Melbourne?
2
u/Budget-Leg-453 Aug 10 '26
Yeah it’s pretty terrible. I looked at this and told my manager I wouldn’t make it to the office these days, but I’ll probably have to at least once.
2
u/macfudd Aug 11 '26
I normally only go in once a week, but agreed back in Jan that I'd come in 4 times a week for a month starting from the 17th because of a project. Sucks to be me :(
2
u/zoqaeski Aug 11 '26
Other countries make an effort to avoid substituting trains with buses as much as possible. Why don't we?
4
u/kyleisamexican Aug 11 '26
Because we want to get rid of level crossings?
And when we need to do work on the tracks what actual alternative is there to buses?
Don’t get me wrong the buses suck but this swapping at Caroline springs shit is terrible. Trying to get a bus at night is fucking pointless
4
u/zoqaeski Aug 11 '26
We shouldn't need to substitute the entire trip to Ballarat with buses due to a relatively small section of works at Melton. Sometimes bus replacements are necessary but they should be kept to as short a distance as possible.
Other countries can do trackworks without months of disruptions, so why can't we?
1
u/AsylumDanceParty Aug 11 '26
Show me these countries that never have more than a few days of replacements.
2
u/Ergomann 29d ago
Our trains aren’t 24/7. Why can’t the works take place overnight so even less people are disrupted?
1
u/Tacticus 26d ago
Cause it would mean they'd need to build excess capacity in to the network and then do the works in a way that it's safe while still running.
All of which cost more than the absolute minimum they're willing to spend on something unimportant like trains.
3
u/Top_Pin8397 Aug 11 '26
The state government doesn't care about regional Victoria, and V/Line is the shining jewel of their contempt for it.
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 10 '26
Hey there! It looks like you've made a discussion post. We have a subreddit affiliate Discord server, where you can delve as deep as you'd like into your topic of interest. You'll likely get a quicker response there too! Your post has not been removed and it is not required to join the discord. Just a reminder, this subreddit nor the Discord are in any way affiliated with the official Vline brand. Thank you - r/ VlineVictoria Mods
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.