Temperatures are forecast to rise across Victoria in coming days and extreme heat timetables will be in place for V/Line services to give passengers greater certainty when planning their journey.
As a precaution, trains run at slower speeds on really hot days because the steel tracks expand in extreme heat.
To help passengers plan their journey with confidence, these service changes are reflected in the extreme heat timetables on the V/Line website.
Extreme heat timetables won’t be in place on the Gippsland, Geelong and Warrnambool lines due to coaches replacing trains for all or part of the journey while network upgrade works take place.
“Safety continues to be our number one priority and we thank passengers for their understanding over the summer months and encourage them to take care when travelling during extreme weather,” Acting Minister for Public Transport Mel Horne said.
“Extreme heat timetables can be easily accessed from the V/Line website and passengers are encouraged to plan ahead before travelling on really hot days.”
On Friday 13 January, a full extreme heat timetable will be in place for the Seymour and Shepparton lines. A partial extreme heat timetable will be in place on the Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill lines.
On Saturday 14 January, a full extreme heat timetable in place for the Ballarat, Ararat, Maryborough, Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, Seymour and Shepparton lines.
Passengers can download a copy of the extreme heat timetable for their line from vline.com.au or ask for a copy from their nearest staffed station.
Passengers for these lines are encouraged to visit the V/Line website to download a copy of the temporary coach replacement timetable.
There will be drinking water on board trains and passengers are also encouraged to travel with bottled water and wear cool clothing.
In the lead up to summer, V/Line maintenance crews were out in force improving the overall reliability of assets on the network in preparation for the hot weather.
Vegetation management work also took place across the state, including grass slashing to manage bushfire risks in the rail reserve.
