Geelong commuters call for better V/Line services

Tamsyn Riddle reports on the struggles facing Geelong commuters as their access to reliable public transport falls apart

Southern Cross Station (Photo: Tamsyn Riddle)

Geelong commuters have called for increased V/Line services and rail upgrades as population growth and disruptions continue to strain Victoria's busiest regional rail corridor.

With 11.4 million trips recorded in the 2024-25 financial year, Geelong line commuters have endured numerous disruptions, including one incident near Wyndham Vale in late April that left passengers stranded for hours.

Commuter Andrew Skurrie said reliability on the line has deteriorated significantly in recent years. "You don't come to the station to catch a train. You come wondering if there will be a train, you're so frequently let down," Skurrie said. "Trains dumped passengers at Wyndham Vale with no buses and thousands milling about. I had to do the three-hour drive after my daughter was stranded there for two hours."

Residents say demand in Geelong's southern suburbs has outgrown current services. Regular commuter Rebecca Thistleton said more trains terminating at Geelong's southern suburbs, including Marshall and Waurn Ponds, are needed to meet population growth. "I get the train to and from Marshall and it is frustrating to be at Southern Cross Station having to wait for a train that goes beyond South Geelong," she said. "I'm pushing for more services that go to Waurn Ponds because the suburbs beyond South Geelong are growing so rapidly."

Waurn Ponds Station, one of the key transport hubs servicing Geelong. (Photo: Tamsyn Riddle)

According to the City of Greater Geelong, the Geelong region continues to experience rapid population growth. Southern Geelong suburb Armstrong Creek, which is the largest continuous growth area in Victoria, is projected to grow from 11,000 to more than 28,000 residents by 2041.

Increased commuter demand and free travel across April and May intensified the debate around extending Melbourne's electrified Metro network further west. Liberal MP and Member for the Western Victorian Region, Beverly McArthur, has been actively raising the issue across her social media accounts. In an April press release, McArthur criticised the government's approach for easing congestion through temporary fare relief. "Making public transport temporarily free while failing to provide higher capacity trains or additional bus and train solutions is no solution at all," she said.

McArthur referenced concerns raised by constituents, including the experience of a pregnant passenger who was forced to stand on a crowded evening Geelong line service due to the lack of capacity. She said the Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams, has failed to deliver additional services.

Similar pressures are being reported across V/Line's services with lines such as Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland also facing high patronage and ongoing concerns around reliability and punctuality.

Pressure is expected to only increase on the state government with Geelong's growing population and, while patrons continue to demand a solution, it seems electrification to the state's west remains a long-term proposal rather than an active government commitment.