In short:
A new train timetable from 23 August adds more weekly services on the Werribee, Laverton, Williamstown and Wyndham Vale lines, plus a September opening for West Tarneit Station.
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More Weekly Services For Wyndham's Train Lines
From Sunday, 23 August, more than 400 extra weekly train services start across Melbourne’s rail network, with commuters on the Werribee, Laverton, Williamstown and Wyndham Vale lines among those getting more trains.
The Werribee, Laverton, Williamstown and Sandringham lines will get more than 180 extra weekly services combined, with trains running every 10 minutes between Newport and Sandringham on weekdays. For the first time, trains will run directly between Newport and Sandringham via Flinders Street, meaning passengers travelling between Melbourne’s west and the bayside suburbs won’t need to change trains.
Minister for Public Transport Vicki Ward said the extra services were designed to cut waiting times. “More trains on the timetable means less time waiting on the platform and more time to enjoy your destination, whether it’s getting home, going to the footy, hanging out at the beach, or heading to work,” Ward said.
West Tarneit Station Opens September 13
The new West Tarneit Station opens on Sunday, 13 September, giving residents in the growing pocket of Tarneit another option for catching the train into the city.
Member for Footscray Katie Hall said the changes also make it easier to travel across the city without switching services. “For the first time, you can jump on a train in Melbourne’s west and travel straight to the MCG, Chapel Street and Sandringham Beach without changing trains,” Hall said.
Bigger Trains On The Wyndham Vale Line
More peak services on the Wyndham Vale Line will be upgraded to nine-car VLocity trains under the new timetable, lifting capacity on those services by 50 per cent. The Geelong line will also see 40 weekly services extended from Geelong through to Waurn Ponds.
Elsewhere on the network, the Craigieburn Line gets an extra 115 weekly services with trains every 20 minutes or better from morning until midnight, seven days a week, and the Upfield Line gets an extra 77 weekly services on the same frequency. The Belgrave and Lilydale lines get extra Friday and Saturday night services to Ringwood, and the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines each get eight extra Sunday morning services.
More Capacity From The Metro Tunnel
The extra services are made possible by the Metro Tunnel, which has freed up capacity to run more trains across the network. The state government says further service increases are planned for next year on the Hurstbridge, Mernda, Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines, alongside 25 additional locally built X’Trapolis 2.0 trains backed by a $673.6 million investment.
The full updated timetable goes live on Friday, 7 August, and can be viewed at transport.vic.gov.au or through the PTV app.
