The Craigieburn line is one of Melbourne’s most overcrowded, with half its morning peak services carrying too many passengers.
The latest passenger load survey by Public Transport Victoria (PTV) during 14 weekdays in May shows that 10 of the 20 morning services, between 7.01am and 9.30am, are overcrowded.
In May last year, eight services were above capacity. The PTV data shows overcrowding on the line has become more common over the past four years.
It also shows that no new services were added to the line between May 2015 and May this year.
During the afternoon peak, between 3.31pm and 7pm, three Craigieburn line services carry an excess of passengers.
South Morang line commuters are also increasingly finding themselves squeezing aboard overcrowded trains, with the survey revealing three morning peak services are overcrowded and one afternoon peak service is above capacity.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the survey results reflect commuter concerns about trains becoming more and more crowded.
“Measures to relieve overcrowding need to be taken urgently,” he said.
“This might include running more trains directly into Southern Cross and Flinders Street, if city loop tracks are full, as well as pushing ahead with signalling upgrades.”
“They could also run more frequent services at off-peak times, such as every 10 minutes all day, as seen on some eastern suburbs’ lines.
“This gives more people the option of travelling outside peak times and helps spread the load and cut crowding,” Mr Bowen said.
PTV spokesman John Lindsay said the organisation is working with the department and Metro on timetable changes that will help to reduce overcrowding on peak time trains.
He said the government has ordered 84 new trains, is installing smart signalling, and will build the Metro tunnel to increase network capacity.
“These projects will allow more trains to and from Craigieburn, and right across Melbourne, reducing waiting, crowding and delays,” he said.
