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On top of facing constant delays, passengers on the Warrnambool line have also been dealing with less-than-ideal conditions within dated carriages.
During the past fortnight, there have been multiple accounts of airconditioning breaking down – including on a day that topped 35 degrees – leaving many passengers in significant discomfort.
Elderly friends Frits Groenhuizen, 74, and Thelma Blair, 83, had a “horror” experience when they caught the 12.08pm Warrnambool to Melbourne train for a night in the city earlier this week.
Mrs Blair says she will not catch the train again after she endured a trip that ran about 40 minutes late and inflamed her asthma.
“I can’t believe this would happen in this day and age,” Mrs Blair said.
Mrs Blair said her main concern was for children or other vulnerable people who might not cope with the heat.
The pair, who travelled in first class, said the airconditioning broke down on some carriages before the train reached Colac.
It cut out across all carriages between Geelong and Melbourne.
“It got very hot and the carriage was full, too,” Mr Groenhuizen said.
“There was no through draught at all.
“One guy said it was torture.”
On Tuesday the temperature reached 26.2 degrees in Melbourne and 22.9 degrees in Warrnambool.
Meanwhile, South West Coast MP Roma Britnell recounted her similar experience on the 1.31pm Warrnambool-bound train on Friday last week.
It was a day that peaked above 35 degrees.
Mrs Britnell said the train could only be described as a “sauna”.
“It may seem precious to be complaining about airconditioning, but there was absolutely no air flow, the train was full and there were a number of elderly people on board – which is what I was most concerned about,” she said.
The politician, who regularly travels on the train, said this was not her first negative experience on the line.
“On other occasions, the toilets have not been working or the train has been replaced by buses with no notice, meaning the four-hour trip to Melbourne is done without access to food and water,” she said.
Mrs Britnell said she was concerned about the cost of replacement coaches.
V/Line spokeswoman Catalina Filip confirmed the airconditioning issues on both services, and said power faults on the trains had affected the cooling system.
She said V/Line offered replacement coaches with airconditioning as an alternative, and that complimentary bottles of water and access to water fountains on board the trains were available to customers.
