General News
17 April, 2026
Riordan calls for return of booking system
PUBLIC transport users in Camperdown are poised to suffer additional setbacks with modified V/Line timetables from mid-April to mid-May removing early morning services and pushing the earliest arrival to the Melbourne CBD to around 11am.
From April 11 to mid-May, coaches will replace trains between Waurn Ponds and Warrnambool for an initial two-week period, with further intermittent disruptions adding significant delays and complexity to already stretched journeys.
Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan said the temporary removal of morning services under replacement timetables meant many workers and those making appointments would simply be unable to commute or would have to drive in an already challenging cost of living and fuel crisis.
“This isn’t just an inconvenience – if you can’t get to Melbourne until nearly midday, you can’t hold down a job in the city and risk missing urgent appointments” he said.
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Mr Riordan said the extended disruptions come on top of growing safety and overcrowding concerns across the network, worsened by the State Government’s “poorly planned” free public transport policy.
He is calling for the immediate reinstatement of services timed for 9am Melbourne CBD arrival and reservation processes with appropriate staff support so commuters travelling on buses for the next month could have the reassurance and certainty of an allocated seat.
“South west communities deserve a transport system that gets them to work and appointments reliably and safely – not one that leaves them stranded,” Mr Riordan said.