General News
13 March, 2026
Rail safety reaches crisis point
CONCERNS continue to rise over the safety of passengers on the Warrnambool-Melbourne rail line, with overcrowding and increased demand for further services causing frustration among commuters.
Since the introduction of VLocity trains, the Warrnambool line has been reduced to just three carriages, limiting the number of available seats on each service.
But while the number of seats has been reduced, ‘unallocated’ tickets continue to be sold – resulting in overcrowded carriages and forcing some passengers to travel either standing or sitting on the floor.
“Passenger safety and overcrowding has become a real concern and I can’t see this improving anytime soon,” Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said.
“I have raised my concerns in parliament and have called for urgent intervention from the Minister for Public and Active Transport.”
Ms Britnell said that since the state government cut regional train capacity, service standards “have plummeted.”
“Reports of aggressive behaviour, substance-affected individuals and frightening on-board incidents are becoming alarmingly common,” she said.
“Young students feel vulnerable, parents are worried about their teenagers travelling alone and passengers are telling me they no longer feel safe – and some are now avoiding the service altogether.”
Ms Britnell said that while conductors were doing their best, they have been left without the authority or backup to manage serious incidents.
“The government has not empowered them, nor has it considered deploying Protective Services Officers on long regional routes,” she said.
“Accessibility is also suffering. In one case, an elderly woman with a walker was forced to store it in an overhead rack due to inadequate space; relying on strangers for help upon arrival or even to go to the toilet.
“That is not dignity. That is not accessibility. That is neglect.”
And it appears, according to Ms Britnell, that overcrowding on the Warrnambool line has now become the norm.
“Even passengers with allocated seating are finding their seats taken, leaving them to stand for hours or risk confrontation,” she said.
“Increasing demand without increasing capacity and safety is just purely irresponsible.”
She said that when she approached the state government and raised her concerns, citing recent incidents of “overcrowding at boiling point,” the state government simply replied with the advice, “make a booking.”
“This just demonstrates just how out of touch this Allan Labor Government is,” Ms Britnell said.
“The government is either unaware or ignoring the fact that the booking system is not working.”
