THE State Opposition has criticised the handling of regional public transport by the State Government, especially highlighting “disruptions and delays” they claim the network is experiencing, just weeks after fares for V/Line travel were capped.

Commuters on the busiest regional train line are facing major delays, with the nearly 7000 Geelong residents that rely on V/Line to travel to Melbourne every day told to allow an extra hour to their journey each way.

Coaches are replacing trains on the Ballarat and Gippsland lines, while there are a number of disruptions on the Shepparton, Bendigo and Seymour services.

The service shut down follows V/Line’s failure to meet key reliability and punctuality targets last month, and reports of passengers abandoning their trip due to overcrowded carriages.

Public Transport shadow minister, Richard Riordan, said the government’s failure to properly plan has forced regional commuters to work from home or catch the bus.

“In what world would it be acceptable that just three weeks after spruiking cheaper fares for the regions, their services have been affected by delays and disruption,” he said.

“Works need to be undertaken to ensure that Victorians have a safe and reliable journey, but it should be completed during off peak times so disruptions are minimised.

“It must be possible to schedule maintenance and upgrades around services. Rail authorities have managed to do it quite successfully for the past hundred years.

“Regional Victorians deserve to have the peace of mind that there will be an affordable train service to get them home, on-time and every time.”