Labor Government Moves To Curb Station Skipping
The number of stations skipped by metropolitan trains will be published each month as part of a push by the Andrews Labor Government to further reduce the practice.
From today, Public Transport Victoria’s monthly Track Record report of service punctuality and delivery across the public transport network will include data on station skipping.
It will show the number and proportion of overall services that run express when they were not timetabled to, as well as historical data, so trends in station skipping can be monitored.
Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said that while the Labor Government’s strong opposition to the practice before the election has seen a fall in station skipping from 0.5 per cent of services to 0.2 per cent, it was still a serious concern for many passengers.
This month’s Track Record report showed 97 Metro services ran as unplanned express, out of the more than 60,000 scheduled services.
Ms Allan said greater transparency would give passengers the accountability they deserve and help to improve train punctuality.
The Labor Government has already had discussions with PTV and Metro about how this practice can be reduced within the current contractual arrangements, and will ensure the issue is addressed in future contract negotiations.
The track record report is published each month at ptv.vic.gov.au/trackrecord
Comments attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan
“While the previous Liberal Government defended station skipping, Labor is taking a strong stand against it.”
“Passengers need a train system that actually works and we’re delivering it.”
“By publishing the data, passengers will get the transparency they deserve. If Victorian’s don’t like what they see, then more will need to be done to put an end to the practice.”