Geelong line booming, but parking can’t keep up

DEMAND for car parking spaces continues to outstrip supply at Geelong railway station, but the state government has no plans to provide commuters with parking relief in the short term.

The well-used train station car park on Latrobe Terrace is often full before 8am and commuters frequently resort to parking illegally, in no standing zones and outside marked parking bays.

Non-commuters who work in Geelong’s CBD are reportedly parking in bays designated for V/Line passengers, adding to the challenges facing travellers.

Victoria Police conducted an operation to crack down on the practice in June, but the battle to secure car parking spaces at the Geelong station continues.

The Geelong line between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds stations is undergoing more than $1 billion in rail upgrades to enable more frequent services to run on what is the V/Line network’s most popular line.

More than 700 services are scheduled on the line each week, with V/Line operating a train every 10-15 minutes during peak periods and every 20 minutes during the day.

 

Planning is also under way for Geelong line trains to run every 20 minutes from 8am to 9pm on weekends, as part of the Victorian government’s commitment to deliver nearly 200 additional V/Line services across the network.

A spokesperson for V/Line confirmed that the regional fare cap, which came into effect in March last year, had “transformed the way Victorians travel”, with the popularity of its service continuing to increase.

Patronage on the Geelong line for the first six months of the year was up by almost 30 per cent, compared with the same time period last year, equating to almost five million trips taken.

As part of improvements to the line, 200 new and upgraded car parking spaces were opened at North Shore train station last year, while the works nearing completion at Marshall and South Geelong stations will add a further 300 car parking spaces.

At present, there are no plans to immediately improve the car parking situation at Geelong’s main railway station, despite commuters’ eagerness to see improvements made.

A government spokesperson said more parking spaces along the Geelong line were still to come as part of its ‘Car Parks of Commuters’ program.

“We are continuing to explore ways to improve access to stations across regional Victoria, including walking, cycling and more bus connections to trains,” the spokesperson said.