The line’s April punctuality rate almost doubled on the February result, rising from 31.2 per cent to 60.1 per cent.

V/Line chief executive officer James Pinder credited works undertaken on the line during April with the improvement.

“Following the 10-day works package on the Warrnambool line last month, our crews removed temporary speed restrictions at five active level crossings,” he said. “We were able to engineer the level crossings to ensure better detection of trains, which meant we could increase the speed of trains passing through these level crossings. It has clearly had a positive impact on the on time running of services.”

However, Warrnambool still had the lowest rate of punctuality in the state and fell below the target of 92 per cent.

The improvement came as the state government announced service changes across the network, including making six out of every eight weekday services on the Warrnambool line semi-express.

The services will no longer stop at Wynham Vale and Tarneit stations, a move Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney said would lead to more room and a quicker journey.

“It builds on the new services we delivered in January … and the level crossing upgrades we’re delivering to boost safety and return services to timetable,” she said.

A new timetable will come into effect from August 27.