In the beginning

The story starts back in December 2005, with the introduction of the VLocity trains to the V/Line fleet. Each set consisted of two carriages seating a total of 140 passengers, with a drivers cab at each end. For the peak hour express trains on the Geelong line, they would coupled together three units to make a six car train.

We then saw a politically motivated 20% cut in V/Line fares in 2007, resulting in an explosion in patronage, especially on the Geelong line.

One response to this was the ordering of additional trains for V/Line, who saw their first three-car long VLocity set enter service in August 2008.

But with patronage still growing and suburban and V/Line trains sharing the tracks out of Melbourne, running more services on the Geelong line wasn’t an option. But V/Line had another solution – 7-car long VLocity train, made up of two 2-car sets with a 3-car set.

These trains were introduced to the Geelong line in November 2008 and ran until June 2015, when Geelong trains commenced using the new Regional Rail Link tracks, and the last of the 2-car VLocity trains had been extended to be three cars along.

So what next?

As early as 2011 V/Line knew longer trains would be required – their ‘Initial Strategic Operations Plan’, obtained by the Greens under the Freedom of Information Act, says the following:

V/Line anticipates that by this point in time (2018) a high capacity style DMU will be required for Geelong services. It is expected that these trains would operate in 8- or 9-car consists and would each be able to carry 750 – 800 customers. It is expected that the eight peak hour services would be operated with the high capacity DMUs.

And the Regional Rail Link project also included provision for these longer trains – providing 250 metre long platforms at Footscray, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations to cater for a hypothetical nine car long train, made up of three 3-car sets.

But for some unknown reason, they decided only only build a 190 metre long platform at Sunshine, despite plenty of space at the city end for a 250 metre long one.

But in 2016 the State Government’s focus switched to a ‘high capacity next generation regional train’ – from the PTV website:

High capacity next generation regional trains

The 2016-17 State Budget includes $10 million in development funding for High-Capacity Next Generation Regional Rolling Stock to cater for the future needs of regional Victoria.

A next generation high capacity regional train will be commissioned in the coming years to cater for strong patronage growth and provide new peak services.

With V/Line saying in 2017 that nine car trains are possible, but won’t be happening any time soon – from the Geelong Advertiser.

Nine-carriage V/Line trains possible, but no plans for Geelong line yet
23 October 2017

The boss of the regional rail network has admitted for the first time nine-carriage trains on the Geelong line are a possibility.

Potential for a mega-train carrying more than 660 passengers comes after calls from commuters and rail experts to reduce peak-time overcrowding on the line.

But while James Pinder said a nine-carriage train was possible, he said it was not a current priority.

Mr Pinder said V/Line’s priority was bolstering its fleet from three to six-carriage trains.

“The (VLocity) train is capable of running in a nine-car configuration. (To run nine-carriage trains) it becomes an issue around infrastructure and number of vehicles (available),” he said.

“We don’t currently have any plans to run nine-car ser­vices. To run large numbers of nine-car services we would have to have a look at (increasing) platform lengths.”

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Public Transport Minister did not say if the Government was considering introducing nine-carriage trains on the regional network.

The Geelong Advertiser under­stands platforms at Geelong station are long enough for nine-carriage trains — which could open the possibility for Geelong to Melbourne express trains.

Platforms at other smaller stations on the line would need to be extended for a stopping-all-stations Waurn Ponds to Southern Cross train.

Mr Pinder said nine-­carriage trains did not run across the V/Line network at present.

And they finally happen

On Sunday 21 June 2020 V/Line ran their first nine car VLocity train on the mainline, taking it from Southern Cross Station to Wyndham Vale and back to test their operation, as well as platform clearances.

Sunshine station being the sticking point.

The last one and 1/2 carriages fouling the junction when the front was stopped at the city end of platform 3.

Or sticking out in front after the rear of the train was brought onto the platform.

These tests were then followed in July 2021 by more testing, this time between Ballarat and Lal Lal, which doesn’t see any V/Line passenger services run along it.

ThebusofdoomFSX video

But it took another year for the first nine car train to take passengers – following the 30 May 2022 timetable change.

Passengers in Melbourne’s west now have more space on selected peak services with 9-car VLocity trains running to and from Wyndham Vale Station for the first time.

The longer trains, which have the highest-capacity of any regional commuter train in Victoria, will boost capacity by 50% cent on the busiest part on the V/Line network.

The new 9-car services will run each weekday, with 1 in the morning peak starting at Wyndham Vale and 2 in the evening peak departing from Southern Cross.

As well as improving capacity, the 9-car trains also provide more doors for boarding, reducing crowding in corridors particularly in peak periods.

Platforms will also be extended at Sunshine Station to allow nine-car VLocity trains to stop there in the future.

But due to the short platforms, these nine car services had to run express through Sunshine, as well as Deer Park.

Extending the platforms at Sunshine

With level crossing removal works at Deer Park station regularly closing the Geelong and Ballarat lines, V/Line took the opportunity to finally extend the platforms at Sunshine. In March 2023 the piled foundations were installed.

The real work kicking off in April, with assembly of the steel platform supports.

And pouring of the concrete deck.

They then left the completed section of platform fenced off for a month.

The nine car trains still having to skip the stop.

Until May, when they decided to take down the fence between new and old.

And the introduction of a new timetable from 28 May 2023 adding a stop at Sunshine to the nine car Wyndham Vale services.

However in recent months I haven’t seen a nine car train run – possibly due to a shortage of VLocity railcars following the retirement of the H set locomotive hauled carriage fleet.

And so they choose to cut down a nine car train to six cars, than a six car train to three.

And now to Melton?

In May 2021 the State Government announced that funding would be provided to allow nine car VLocity trains to run to Melton, a promise repeated in October 2022.

And reiterated yet again in March 2024.

The Melton level crossing removal works will help introduce larger nine-car VLocity trains as part of the $650 million Melton Line Upgrade, increasing capacity for passengers by 50 per cent and creating 1,000 jobs during construction – while making roads safer and less congested for pedestrians.

To support the introduction of nine car trains, a new train stabling facility is being investigated at Cobblebank where trains could be stored when they are not operating, further supporting local jobs in construction and ongoing maintenance.

But look at what else was happening at the same time – a brand new station at Deer Park was opened in April 2023, with platforms only 215 metres long – half a carriage (10 metres) too short!

That flew under the radar until August 2024, when the State Opposition gave a media drop to the Herald Sun, and then it was all over the news.

Footnote: it’s not just platform length

The new platform extensions at Sunshine also happen to be ~100mm higher than the existing platforms.

This happens to be a new platform height standard, which was also used at Deer Park station – and happens to be incompatible with the outward swinging plug doors fitted to V/Line’s Sprinter railcars.

And so those trains are banned from stopping at the new platforms.

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But first, some background

The first High Capacity Metro Train carried passengers back on 27 December 2020, which I covered at the time. But in the case of the Sunbury line, testing of the new trains commenced in September 2020, initially by night, then by day between normal services.

Work on the Sunbury Line Upgrade project also ramped up at this time, the most visible change being platform extensions for the longer trains.

But the overhead wires also needed to be upgraded to handle the additional power drawn.

As well as the traction power substations.

And 2023 the civil works had been done, with the finishing touch being the installation of these yellow beacons between the rails – used to tell the Correct Side Door Enable (CSDE) and Selective Door Operation (SDO) systems fitted to the HCMT fleet which side the platform is on, and how many doors to open.

However this infrastructure was only fitted at Sunbury line stations from the Metro Tunnel portal at South Kensington – nothing in the City Loop, or at North Melbourne station.

A first taste

High Capacity Metro Trains also became a regular sight on the Sunbury line in early 2023, but not carrying passengers – instead headed empty cars to the stabling yard at Calder Park, because the delivery of new trains had outgrown the space available at the Pakenham East train depot.

And then in October 2023 something new happened – a pair of Sunbury line services started being advertised as ‘Pakenham’ services, on what were previously services that ran direct to Flinders Street each morning.

North Melbourne platform 3 gained a ‘HCMT Car Stop’ sign at the city end.

And a yellow selective door operation beacon was fitted between the rails on the approach.

The reason was something I didn’t think would actually happen – the operation of HCMTs on the Sunbury line before the opening of the Metro Tunnel.

And the big day

On the morning of 30 October 2023 I woke up before the sun, and caught a train out to Sunbury.

Where I found HCMT set 37 waiting in the sidings at Sunbury.

And 7:04 ‘Pakenham’ service listed on the upcoming departures.

In between the more usual City Loop, Bendigo and Echuca destinations.

After the Bendigo train had cleared the platform, at 6:58 the High Capacity Metro Train shunted out of the sidings.

Where a small group of railfans was in attendance to capture the moment.

And it was on.

‘Sunbury’ displayed on the screens onboard.

And upcoming stations listed.

Signal cleared, and time to go.

At some stations the screens just said ‘Pakenham: Not stopping at S Kensington’

But others listed every station on the way to Pakenham – at least until they ran out of screen space.

At South Kensington there wasn’t a chance of being misdirected into the Metro Tunnel, as the tracks are still blocked.

So we just went past instead.

At North Melbourne platform 3 the train stopped right where it was supposed to.

But rather than continue through to Pakenham, I headed back to Sunshine to capture the second public HCMT service of the morning.

Passengers seeming to have no trouble with the new trains.

Footnote: the timetable

The current timetable has two Sunbury line services being operated by High Capacity Metro Trains – the 0704 and 0814 from Sunbury towards the city.

Note are no matching HCMT runs in the opposite direction – they return empty to Calder Park after morning peak.

Footnote: platform extensions

The ‘HCMT car stop’ on platform 3 is now the home of two type-specific train stopping mark signs.

The other being a ‘Metro trains stop here’ sign before the end of platform 5.

This sign was added 15 years ago following the platform extension at the south end for 7-car VLocity trains running on the Geelong line.

So that 6-car suburban trains would still stop near the station exits.

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Checking the progress of the Geelong Ring Road seems to be an ongoing theme, and it comes up again this month.

I also paid a visit to what is now the site of Waurn Ponds station, where I photographed a freight train headed back from the Blue Circle cement works.

This traffic was lost to rail in December 2015, and the area in the background has dramatically changed, with overpasses for Anglesea Road and Baanip Boulevard having been built over the tracks.

Another project underway in 2008 was the new concourse at the city end of North Melbourne station, which was starting to look like a ‘real’ station.

The escalators were in place.

But the roof was still to come.

One could argue that given how useless the shelters are, they needn’t have bothered.

A different project that was finished was Southern Cross Station, where I photographed the future platforms 15 and 16.

Stranded minus track, the platform also lacked any access points from the overhead concourse.

Originally intended for use by an airport rail link, a year later the platform became the site of the sod turning for the Regional Rail Link project, which commissioned the platforms, which opened to trains in December 2013.

September 2008 saw the decision made to run 7-car long trains to Geelong, which required platform extensions to be built at stations along the way, including North Melbourne.

But the work wasn’t able to be completed in time for the first 7-car train, so an extra conductor had to ride each service to ensure that passengers didn’t step out into the ether.

These longer trains continued to run until June 2015, when Geelong trains commenced using the new Regional Rail Link tracks and the last remaining 2-car VLocity trains were converted into 3-car units.

Up in Melbourne the new ‘Bumblebee’ trams from France had entered service.

They are still ‘buzzing’ around Melbourne today, but in the standard white and green PTV livery.

While up at Albury the final broad gauge train ran, clearing the way for the conversion of the line to standard gauge.

I rode in style onboard the train made up of carriages built in 1937 for the Spirit of Progress.

And we had plenty of train spotters along the way taking photos.

V/Line services to Albury eventually returned in June 2011 but never in a dependable way, with a combination of poor track and failing rolling stock turning it a political football.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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As usual we start down at Geelong, were I paid a visit to the future Geelong Ring Road interchange at Waurn Ponds.

This interchange opened in June 2009 as the terminus of stage 3, with the freeway extended south towards Colac in 2011.

I also headed south-west from Geelong to Warrnambool, on the trail of the final El Zorro operated container service.

The line from Geelong to Warrnambool is single track, with the only place available for opposing trains to pass being Camperdown.

Freight trains still run on the line today, but the loop at Warncoort provides another place for trains to pass.

While at Warrnambool I followed the remains of the Port Fairy railway.

The Port Fairy line closed in 1977, but the section to Dennington remained open until 2002, to permit the delivery of briquettes to the neighbouring Nestle factory.

I also drove west of Geelong, chasing a ballast train at work on the main Melbourne-Adelaide railway.

Another long drive took me north to Wycheproof, where the railway runs down the middle of the main street.

Steamrail Victoria had ran a special train up to Wycheproof for the weekend.

A group of mates came along for the chase.

And every time we got ahead of the train, we’d pull over to take a photo of it.

At North Geelong I was lucky enough to catch track inspection vehicle EM100 head past on another tour of the network.

The aging vehicle is still in service today, but increasingly out of service due to mechanical faults.

Back in 2008 two carriage trains on the Geelong line were a common sight.

But platform extension works were underway – this is Marshall station.

And the city end of North Melbourne platform 5 and 6.

The work was to allow the operation of 7-car VLocity trains in peak times, which commenced in November 2008 and continued operating until June 2015, when the expansion of 2-car VLocity sets to 3-cars made such an arrangement impossible.

Upgrades to North Melbourne station were also continuing.

With the escalators between platform and concourse now in place.

But the concourse made no difference to trains stuck on increasingly congested tracks.

It took until 2015 for V/Line trains to be separated from suburban trains at North Melbourne, with the opening of the first stage of Regional Rail Link.

But passengers on the Hurstbridge line were seeing one of their bottlenecks removed.

With work on a $52 million project to duplicate 750m of single track between Clifton Hill and Westgarth station underway, featuring a new bridge over the Merri Creek.

The second track opened in 2009, paving the way for the Heidelberg-Rosanna duplication completed in 2018.

Another bottleneck since removed is the level crossing at Clayton, visible behind this citybound Connex train.

But some things never change – like vandals riding the coupler of trains, tagging the rear windscreen.

And the abandoned Webb Dock railway.

Running beneath the West Gate Bridge, it once linked the port to the rest of Victoria.

But now lays idle.

The last train used the line in 1992, with the city end dismantled in the 1990s to make way for the Melbourne Docklands development. There have been various proposals to reopen the line to transport freight to Webb Dock, reducing the number of trucks on the road, but they have come to nought.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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A story of growth

The story starts with Melbourne’s first railways. A steam engine at the front of each train provided the motive power, with any number of carriages being added behind to cater for the expected patronage. The carriages themselves were a mix of different lengths – the shortest rode on two axles, others on three, while the longest sat upon a pair of three axled bogies.

VPRS 12800/P1, item H 4165

Steam engines were dirty, slow to accelerate, required frequent coal and water topups, and depended on a huge army of staff to keep operational, so the decision was made in the early 20th century to electrify the Melbourne suburban railway system.

VPRS 12800/P4, item RS 1855

Two kinds of electric suburban trains were built to service the newly upgraded system – the newly built ‘Tait’ trains, and the ‘Swing Door’ trains – older steam hauled carriages extended in length and provided with electric motors and driving controls.

VPRS 12800/P4, item RS 0391

Both trains were similar in length – ‘Swing Door’ carriages were 17.4 metres (57 ft 1 in), the Tait trains were 18.8 metres (61 ft 8 in) – but could be operated in a wide variety of consists – everything up from single carriage trains, up to six carriage long sets. This was thanks to a new technology called multiple unit operation – where carriages fitted with traction motors were all controlled by a single driving sitting in the lead carriage, via electrical cables running the length of the train.

Electrification of the suburban network allowed more frequent services, which resulted in an explosion in patronage on peak hour services. As a result in 1922-23 the first seven-car suburban train ran on the St Kilda line. With a total train length of ~135 metres, this required platform lengthening, with works completed as far as Sandringham, St Kilda, Frankston, Dandenong, Box Hill, Eltham, Reservoir, and Williamstown to cater for these longer trains. Beyond these boundaries, six-car trains continued to be used.

By the 1940s, seven car trains had became the new standard, with the final few Tait trains being built in this configuration, as were the blue ‘Harris’ trains delivered from 1956

VPRS 12800/P4, item RS/1199

At 19.20 metres (63 feet) long the Harris trains were nothing special, but in February 1963 a 10 car long Harris train ran with passengers to Traralgon and return for the Royal Tour – forming a train 192 metres long.

And off peak decline

The flexibility of the new electric trains also enabled the creation of shorter trains, giving cost savings when patronage was sparse. From 1918 two and four car long Tait and Swing Door trains were trialled for use on off peak services, while still allowing the creation of six car long trains for peak hour.

Another change that resulted in shorter trains was the introduction of single class travel on suburban trains. Since electrification three out of seven carriages per train were allocated to first class passengers – 42% of the train. But the number of first class passengers had been in freefall – from 44.4% in the 1948-49, down to just 28.9% a decade later.

This passenger imbalance resulted in empty first class carriages to be dragged around at off peak times, just so that enough second class seats were available, so in September 1958 the decision was made to abolish first class suburban travel, along with a reduction in train lengths to four cars off peak.

A collapse in off peak patronage during the 1960s led to further cuts to train lengths, with two car long trains introduced in November 1964 after 7pm on weekdays, 1pm on Saturdays, and all day Sunday on the Glen Waverley, St Albans, and Upfield lines. The same changes were made to the Broadmeadows and Sandringham lines in August 1965, and the Epping and Hurstbridge lines in August 1966.

Weston Langford photo

There was also a move to even shorter trains – the creation of the ‘double-ended’ single car Tait carriages. They were introduced to the Camberwell – Alamein Sunday shuttle in March 1968, to the Newport – Altona shuttle in March 1969, and to the Eltham – Hurstbridge shuttle in August 1970.

Weston Langford photo

Peak patronage keeps growing

Despite the off peak slump, commuters from ever distant suburbs continued to catch the train to and from the Melbourne CBD, putting increasing strain on a railway system much the same as 50 years earlier.

Proposals for eight car long suburban trains dated back to 1924, but it took until 1967 for the first such train to be created. Platforms on the Lilydale, Belgrave and Glen Waverley lines were lengthened, to make space for the ~155 metre long trains. Extensions to platforms on the Frankston, Pakenham, Alamein, Upfield, Broadmeadows, St Albans, and Williamtown lines followed in 1968.

And the modern era

Another attempt at addressing increased patronage was the creation of higher capacity carriages. In 1967 a small number of prototype Harris carriages were built – at 75 feet (22.86 m) long, compared to 63 feet (19.20 m) of earlier deliveries.

These longer carriages were deemed a success, with the six car long ‘Hitachi’ trains delivered from 1972 built to the same carriage length.

Weston Langford photo

A final stretch in carriage lengths occurred with the Comeng trains that entered service from 1981 – 24 metres each, resulting in a 142.4 metre long train.

Weston Langford photo

The Siemens trains delivered from 2002 stuck to this maximum carriage length.

As did the X’Trapolis trains delivered the same year.

And to the future

Which brings us to the High Capacity Metro Trains currently in development.

Advertised as “almost 160 metres long with seven continuous carriages“, this would result in a carriage length of 22.8 metres – about the same as the Hitachi trains introduced almost 50 years ago.

So what about the platforms? Since at least 2006 the Victorian Rail Industry Operators Group Standards have mandated 160 metre long platforms on the suburban network, with provision for future extensions up to 230 metres, so these new trains present no issues at newly built stations.

But platforms will need to be extended across the network, as The Age detailed in 2017:

Size will matter on Melbourne’s busiest train line with platforms to be extended at 13 stations as part of a $660 million upgrade.

The longer platforms will cater for the new high-capacity metro trains that will first travel on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line. Work will begin to extend the platforms later this year.

The 13 stations to receive extended platforms include South Yarra, Caulfield, Malvern, Oakleigh, Westall, Springvale, Dandenong, Merinda Park, Cranbourne, Hallam, Berwick, Officer and Pakenham.

Five further stations will be rebuilt at Carnegie, Hughesdale, Murrumbeena, Clayton and Noble Park as level crossings are removed.

The new trains would initially run on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line but would travel to Sunbury when the Melbourne Metro project was completed. Similar upgrades will need to be carried out on the Sunbury line to accommodate the new trains.

But even longer trains are in the pipeline – the High Capacity Metro Train is designed for future expansion – up to 10 cars is size, giving a total length of 228 metres.

That’s around double the length of the first suburban electric trains to run in Melbourne 100 years ago.

And the oddball

The one exception to the continual progression in carriage lengths was the ‘4D’ train delivered in 1992.

Weston Langford photo

Built as a prototype train to test the suitability of double deck trains on the Melbourne suburban network, it was made up of four 20 metre long carriages, but could be coupled up to a 3-car long Comeng train.

To summarise

Further reading

A few months ago I went into detail why ‘make trains longer’ isn’t that simple – go have a read now if you haven’t.

Sources

The book “Electric Railways of Victoria: 1919 to 1979” by S. E. Dornan and R. G. Henderson is a treasure trove of information about the electrification and operation of the Melbourne suburban railway system – the only flaw is that it only covers up until the publication date of 1979.

Carriage lengths of the current fleet of trains is from the Metro Trains Melbourne working timetable addenda. Current platform lengths are from the Victorian Rail Industry Operators Group Standards documents. Detail of the new High Capacity Metro Trains is from Tenders Vic.

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Longer trains

Currently the longest trains run by V/Line are six car VLocity train, at around 150 metres. Until 2015 V/Line used to run 7 car trains on the Geelong line: something impossible to do today given that VLocity trains only come in 3 car sets.

Add an extra three car set to that consist, and you get a nine car long train stretching 225 metres from end to end.

As part of the Regional Rail Link project 250 metre long platforms were provided at Footscray, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations so running such a long train is possible today – the ‘VL9’ marks on each platform indicate the stopping mark for these hypothetical trains.

More carriages per train

When originally delivered each VLocity train consisted of two carriages seating a total of 140 passengers, with a drivers cab at each end. Coupling multiple small trains together is inefficient, so in V/Line ordered their first three-car long VLocity set, which entered service from August 2008.

These new sets consisted of the same driving carriages found in the existing 2-car long sets, but with an extra motorised carriage placed between them. Lacking a toilet or drivers cab, these new carriages increased the total passenger capacity to 216 seats – each pair of 3-car sets having 12 extra seats compared to a six carriage train made up of three 2-car long sets.

Add an extra carriage to each three car VLocity set, and you get similar benefits – an eight car train made up of two 4-car sets will only have four cabs and four toilets taking up valuable passenger pace, compared to the six cabs and six toilets found on a nine car train made up of three 3-car sets.

Smarter carriage layouts

If you have ever stood at Southern Cross Station of a morning and watched a VLocity train empty out, you might have noticed how bloody long it takes until the last passenger exits.

The reason: each carriage only has two narrow doors, located at the end of the passenger saloon.

This layout made sense for the original purpose of the VLocity train – express runs to country areas – but are woefully inadequate for their new use ferrying commuters from Melbourne’s outer suburbs to the CBD.

One possible solution – replace each opening with a set of double doors, increasing the amount of standing room inside the saloon, and making a wider opening for passenger to enter and leave the train at stations.

So what is V/Line actually doing?

Strangely enough, V/Line has actually known about the problem for some time – their ‘Initial Strategic Operations Plan’ dated November 2011 has the details, obtained by the Greens under the Freedom of Information Act.

For the Geelong line:

From 2018

V/Line anticipates that by this point in time a high capacity style DMU will be required for Geelong services. It is expected that these trains would operate in 8- or 9-car consists and would each be able to carry 750 – 800 customers. It is expected that the eight peak hour services would be operated with the high capacity DMUs.

And the Ballarat line:

From 2018 (assuming Melton duplication but no electrification)

High capacity DMUs would be required to operate from Bacchus Marsh to cater for the forecast patronage from Melton. These could be added to those expected to be procured for operation on the Geelong corridor. Any units purchased for use on Melton services would not be wasted after electrification because of the need to eventually retire H sets and Sprinters. High capacity DMUs would be suitable replacements for those vehicles

V/Line GM of network engineering Jim Hunter delivered a presentation to the Monash IRT in September 2016, raising the same issues with the VLocity fleet:

Classic fleet performance
• The Classic fleet performance in relation to acceleration and braking plus mean distance between failures is preventing the full potential of the Vlocity fleet being utilised.

VLocity patronage capacity
• The VLocity fleet cannot meet the projected growth in patronage required without full body redesign from the bogie up.

As well as the change in traffic pattern to ‘outer suburban’:

Southern Cross is by far our busiest station, with four out of five journeys starting or ending at Southern Cross.
• Tarneit recorded the second highest number of trips with 76,082.
• On the Ballarat line, there were 63,601 trips at Melton and 50,668 at Ballarat.

But it took until 2016 for the State Government to announce funding to plan for such a ‘high capacity next generation regional train’ – from the PTV website:

High capacity next generation regional trains

The 2016-17 State Budget includes $10 million in development funding for High-Capacity Next Generation Regional Rolling Stock to cater for the future needs of regional Victoria.

A next generation high capacity regional train will be commissioned in the coming years to cater for strong patronage growth and provide new peak services.

With only development money allocated so far and more VLocity trains coming off the production line based on a 15 year old design, V/Line passengers will be stuck on overcrowded trains for some time to come.

A door related footnote

Another worthwhile addition to a redesigned VLocity train would be a separate crew door to the cab – with the present configuration passengers standing in the front doorway block the driver’s door and prevent them from existing the train in an emergency. From 2010 V/Line rolled out illuminated warning signs behind each cab door, but do you think any passenger has ever noticed it?

And platform lengths

The current Victorian Rail Industry Operators Group Standards mandate 160 metre long platforms at suburban stations, and 180 metre long platforms at regional stations. The Regional Rail link project provided 250 metre long platforms at Footscray, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations, but only a 190 metre long platform at Sunshine.

Why? There is plenty of space at the city end, so I have no idea!

October 2017 update

V/Line says nine car trains are possible, but won’t be happening any time soon – from the Geelong Advertiser.

Nine-carriage V/Line trains possible, but no plans for Geelong line yet
23 October 2017

The boss of the regional rail network has admitted for the first time nine-carriage trains on the Geelong line are a possibility.

Potential for a mega-train carrying more than 660 passengers comes after calls from commuters and rail experts to reduce peak-time overcrowding on the line.

But while James Pinder said a nine-carriage train was possible, he said it was not a current priority.

Mr Pinder said V/Line’s priority was bolstering its fleet from three to six-carriage trains.

“The (VLocity) train is capable of running in a nine-car configuration. (To run nine-carriage trains) it becomes an issue around infrastructure and number of vehicles (available),” he said.

“We don’t currently have any plans to run nine-car ser­vices. To run large numbers of nine-car services we would have to have a look at (increasing) platform lengths.”

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Public Transport Minister did not say if the Government was considering introducing nine-carriage trains on the regional network.

The Geelong Advertiser under­stands platforms at Geelong station are long enough for nine-carriage trains — which could open the possibility for Geelong to Melbourne express trains.

Platforms at other smaller stations on the line would need to be extended for a stopping-all-stations Waurn Ponds to Southern Cross train.

Mr Pinder said nine-­carriage trains did not run across the V/Line network at present.

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Some background

The story starts back in December 2005, with the introduction of the VLocity trains to the V/Line fleet. Each set consisted of two carriages seating a total of 140 passengers, with a drivers cab at each end.

The maths for carrying more passengers was simple – put two units together to make a four car train, or three units to make a six car train.

On the Geelong line the busiest trains were the four ‘flagship’ expresses introduced in the September 2006 timetable: a pair of trains stopping at Marshall, South Geelong, Geelong, North Geelong, North Melbourne and Southern Cross each weekday morning, matched by a pair of trains heading in the return direction in the evening.

We then saw a politically motivated 20% cut in V/Line fares in 2007, resulting in an explosion in patronage, especially on the Geelong line.

One response to this was the ordering of additional trains for V/Line, who saw their first three-car long VLocity set enter service in August 2008.

These new sets consisted of the same driving carriages found in the existing 2-car long sets, but with an extra motorised carriage placed between them. Lacking a toilet or drivers cab, these new carriages increased the total passenger capacity to 216 seats – each pair of 3-car sets having 12 extra seats compared to a six carriage train made up of three 2-car long sets.

These new three car long VLocity sets also expanded the combinations of trains that could be made:

• two car
• three car
• four cars (two 2-car sets)
• five cars (2-car with 3-car set)
• six cars (three 2-car sets)
• six cars (two 3-car sets)

But with patronage still growing and suburban and V/Line trains sharing the tracks out of Melbourne, running more services on the Geelong line wasn’t an option. But V/Line did see one possible solution – an even longer VLocity train, made up of two 2-car sets with a 3-car set.

Minor infrastructure changes were required, as this September 2008 media release by then Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky, detailed.

PLATFORM EXTENSIONS PAVE THE WAY FOR LONGER GEELONG TRAINS
Monday, 08 September 2008

Platforms at two Geelong stations will be lengthened to allow V/Line to run the biggest short-distance passenger trains in the state from the end of this year.

The bigger trains are in response to a massive 23 per cent growth in passenger numbers in the past year alone on the Geelong line – Victoria’s busiest regional passenger line.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said peak Geelong trains already operated at the maximum six-carriage length, and seven-carriage trains would operate on semi-express peak services when platforms could accommodate the longer trains.

Marshall was the first station to undergo platform extension works throughout September and would be followed by South Geelong.

“The Brumby Government is taking action to build on our record investment in regional rail services and that is why we have committed $236 million to purchase 50 new carriages to allow for longer trains on our most popular routes,” Ms Kosky said.

“V/Line is now receiving one new carriage every month and will do so until 2012. By that time, more than 3800 extra seats will be added to the network.

“I know Geelong passengers have suffered some overcrowding and I’m pleased to announce that some peak hour Geelong line trains will be increased from six to seven carriages from the end of this year.

“It is important that we complete these infrastructure upgrades before we introduce longer trains to ensure passenger safety and accessibility.”

The Geelong line is V/Line’s most popular route and has more peak hour services and carriages
than any other line but booming patronage means more carriages are needed.

“With V/Line patronage at a 60-year high, the platforms works and extra carriages will make a real difference for Geelong line passengers,” Ms Kosky said.

Work begins

By October 2008 work was well underway on extending platforms along the Geelong line.

Connex moved quickly, extending North Melbourne platforms 5 and 6 to the south by one carriage.

Work at South Geelong also commenced, relocating an existing siding to make for for a platform extension towards the east.

While at Marshall station the platform opened just a few years before also had to be extended – a short section at the Melbourne end.

And a longer extension at the Warrnambool end.

And they begin

November 2008 saw the first seven car long VLocity train run on the Geelong line, but with one problem – the platform extensions at South Geelong were yet to be finished.

Passengers for South Geelong were warned not to board the rear carriage of the new longer trains.

With a second conductor having to travel onboard each train, preventing passengers from using the door that hung off the end of the platform.

It took another month for the platform extension to appear at South Geelong.

With the half finished platform finally opening to passengers in January 2009.

Seven car VLocity trains then became became an everyday part of the V/Line timetable, stopping at Marshall, South Geelong, Geelong, North Geelong, North Melbourne and Southern Cross each weekday morning, matched by a pair of trains heading in the return direction in the evening.

Fade to black

In May 2009 Regional Rail Link was approved, to allow V/Line trains on the Geelong line to avoid sharing tracks with suburban trains on their way into Melbourne, traversing a new route via the growth suburbs of Wyndham Vale and Tarneit.

Early works on Regional Rail Link didn’t stop seven car long trains on the Geelong line.

Neither did the removal of the stop at North Melbourne, or the opening of the new platforms 15 and 16 at Southern Cross Station.

But it was another simultaneous change that saw the end of the seven car trains to Geelong – a desire by V/Line to standardise their VLocity train fleet.

Operating a mix of two and three car trains might be flexible, but makes operations more complicated, so in November 2012 an additional 19 VLocity intermediate carriages were ordered – enough to lengthen the last remaining two car sets to the new ‘standard’ three car length.

The end finally came in June 2015 when Geelong trains commenced using the new Regional Rail Link tracks, with the new timetable adding extra stops to the former ‘super’ express services, and cutting the trains back to just six cars in length.

The two car long VLocity trains hung around a little longer, running as part of five car long trains, until the final set was converted – VL14 in June 2016

Today the platform extension at North Melbourne remains in place, empty and unused.

While the new Regional Rail Line platforms at Footscray bear the painted letters ‘VL9’ – stopping mark for a nine car VLocity train that is yet to come.

Footnote

More detail on the Geelong line platform lengthening works of 2008 can be found on the Railpage Australia forums.

Meanwhile on the Seymour line

Over on the Seymour line V/Line stops overlength trains at short platforms at Donnybrook and Heathcote Junction every day in morning peak – a story for another day!

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To start with, the ‘extra carriages’ have to exist. In the case of the Melbourne suburban fleet, trains are formed into fixed 3-carriage sets.

With a drivers cab at either end and electrical equipment scattered between the different cars, these 3 car long trains can’t be broken up into single carriages and then added to other trains to make them longer, at least without lots of modification to make it all work. The same applies to many other rail networks – you can’t just mix and match carriages to make a train.

Once you get the extra carriage sorted, you need a platform long enough for passengers to board.

It doesn’t make sense to build platforms longer than the longest train, so once you start adding carriages, you also need to start extending platforms – a difficult enough activity in busy urban areas, which becomes incredibly expensive if you are dealing with underground stations.

Now that the passengers can board the train, your troubles aren’t over – you need to get those trains running.

Signalling systems are used to keep trains a safe distance apart. They do this by dividing the tracks into a series of blocks, where only a single train is permitted, and a ‘clear’ zone behind each train to provide a safety margin.

Diagram by the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Once you start making trains longer, they can start to overlap the signalling blocks, which doesn’t affect safety, but does reduce the capacity of the railway, thanks to longer than required gaps being left between trains. The only solution – twiddle with the existing signalling system to allow for longer trains, or upgrade to a moving block signalling system to run even more trains on the same tracks.

You also need to supply more electricity to power these bigger trains.

So upgrades to the traction power system might also be needed.

Now that the trains are moving, those extra passengers need to go somewhere once they arrive at their destination. Are there enough escalators linking platforms to the station concourse?

Are there enough ticket gates to let these extra passengers exit the station?

And are there wide enough footpaths around railway stations so they can get to their workplace?

I said it was difficult, didn’t I?

And two bonus issues

The problems don’t end when the passengers leave the train – trains have to be parked somewhere between runs, usually in sidings designed to accept trains of a given length.

The same considerations apply to maintenance facilities and workshops.

Once you start extending trains you either need to break up trains into smaller sections to make them fit existing sidings, or extend the sidings as well.

One dirty hack

One way to make longer trains work on constrained rail networks is selective door operation – leave the infrastructure as is, and only allow passengers to use part of the train at short platforms. This only avoids the need to lengthen platforms, but doesn’t address any of the other issues I’ve listed above, and can result in a net loss of capacity, as platform dwell time blows out due to passengers passengers crowding the doors that are in use.

Coming soon: how is Melbourne getting around these problems?

Melbourne currently has new 7 car long ‘High Capacity Metro Trains’ on order – one carriage longer than our existing trains. How will they fit onto our existing network – a future post will cover this.

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