The Andrews Labor Government will add a further nine new train services every week for the Ararat line, on top of the 10 announced last month.
Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan today announced that 19 new weekday and weekend services will start running on the Ararat line in August – reducing waiting and providing more choice to for local passengers.
The nine extra services include the extension of an existing weekday afternoon Ballarat service to start in Ararat, and four new weekend services.
On Saturdays and Sundays, a new late morning service will run from Ararat to Ballarat, and an early afternoon service from Melbourne to Ballarat will be extended to Ararat.
Late morning services on weekends will give locals the opportunity to travel to Melbourne for footy games and other events by train, while the new afternoon service allows people to get back to Ararat earlier in the day.
The extra services announced last month included a weekday morning service departing from Ararat Station and connecting with a Melbourne bound train at Ballarat, and a weekday afternoon service departing Southern Cross, extended to Ararat.
The new V/Line timetable that will start in August will add 151 extra across regional Victoria, on top of the 80 new services that started in January – taking the total number of new V/Line services added by the Labor Government to more than 500.
The extra services will create room for thousands of extra passengers across the regional network and would be further boosted by the Regional Rail Revival package announced last month.
The new services will start in August and timetables will be available for download from ptv.vic.gov.au in July.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“We’re running more trains so people spend less time waiting for a train, and more time with family and friends.”
“These extra services will reduce waiting and give local passengers more choice about when they travel, and how they get home.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford
“This is a huge win for passengers in Ararat, with 19 extra services for Ararat every single week.”
“We’re continuing our record investment in public transport, to get people in Ararat to work, education and each other, and get them home safer and sooner to the people they love.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020