V/Line will alter timetables on the Warrnambool line next month to account for persistently late trains, meaning services previously counted as late will be seen as on time.
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Long-standing punctuality issues on the line have been exacerbated by speed restrictions relating to risks around level crossings.
V/Line said in an email it was making changes to the timetable and replacing trains with coaches between Geelong and Waurn Ponds in order to reduce the impact on other parts of the network.
“When the new timetable begins in January 2017, it will factor in the slower running of Warrnambool trains and these services will no longer be affected,” the email said.
It has also been revealed in November just 40 per cent of train services on the Warrnambool line ran on time, falling well below the target of 92 per cent.
Trains that arrive within 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled time are still counted as on time.
The November punctuality figure is one of the worst the line has ever seen, with rates for the rest of the year coming in above 60 per cent.
Last month passenger and freight trains were stopped on the line for days after boom gates malfunctioned.
South West Coast MP Roma Britnell said changing the timetable to account for slow-running trains wouldn’t fix the problem, but was “just fudging the books to make punctuality rates look better".
Mrs Britnell called on the state government to make a commitment to fix the safety issues that were causing punctuality issues.
“If we want to attract people to our regions to live and work in an effort to ease the pressure on Melbourne we need reliable and efficient transport networks,” she said.
“Making the journey longer discourages regional development.”
A spokesman for Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the timetable change reflected reality.
"The timetable is being changed to reflect the speed restrictions V/Line has put in place to keep people safe after the horrific crash at Pirron Yallock,” the spokesman said.
"People plan their lives on the train timetable – it needs to reflect running times so passengers can rely on it. V/Line is looking at a range of options to resolve this issue and 12 new weekly services will begin next month – the first new services in more than a decade."
