V/Line fare cap hailed a success

MINISTER for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams has announced that more than 37 million trips have been taken on regional trains and coaches since V/Line fares were capped on 31 March last year.

The fare cap means return tickets from major municipalities such as Bendigo, Geelong and Ballarat to Melbourne, for example, are now set at the daily metro fare of $10.60.

“Victorians have embraced cheaper fares – saving almost $100 million since we introduced the cap,” the Minister said.

“With cheaper fares, more services and newer and more reliable VLocity trains, we’ve made taking the train to work, or to visit regional Victoria, a more attractive and affordable option for more people.”

V/Line recorded its busiest ever day on the network last month – with 92,000 trips taken in Victoria on just 24 hours.

Earlier this month it was announced that two services had been permanently added to the Bendigo V/Line route timetable after initially operating as weekend specials introduced to help support demand following the introduction of the cap.

Planning is also underway for additional Saturday and Sunday night services to be introduced.

A further 88 new and extended weekend services will also be added to the Geelong Line from December.

The additional trips are part of the almost 200 extra weekend services funded in the Victorian Budget 2023/24, which are being progressively rolled out across the regional network.

To plan a journey on the network, visit vline.com.au/Plan-trip-buy-tickets.