News

VLocity trains back on track

Jun 6, 2022

Teething issues: New VLocity trains, recently introduced to the North East line, had to be removed from service last week after damage was identified. Photo by Contributed

V/Line reinstated VLocity trains on two passenger services on the North East line on Monday, June 6 following investigations into minor dents to the outer edges of the train wheels.

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V/Line took the VLocity trains out of service last week to enable extensive and thorough assessment of the issue.

This included undertaking inspections with the Australian Rail Track Corporation along the 305-kilometre stretch of track between Melbourne and Albury, as well as inspecting the train wheels.

V/Line Chief Officer Matt Carrick said the investigations had confirmed it was safe to return VLocity trains with ongoing additional monitoring, and that there were no significant issues and only minor damage identified.

“We will always take a safety-first approach and we’ve had teams of people working around the clock on these investigations over the past week while the trains have been out of service, including bringing in specialist expertise,” Mr Carrick said.

“The investigations have confirmed it is safe to return VLocity trains (to the line) ... and that there are no significant issues and only minor damage identified.

“We apologise for the service changes last week and thank passengers for their understanding as we work through the next steps.”

V/Line will continue to closely monitor the trains including inspections every 48 hours where the units will be moved into a maintenance facility overnight and inspected for further wheel dents, follow-up track inspections and continual analysis of data.

It has also engaged the Monash Institute of Railway Technology (MIRT), the premier track and vehicle railway research centre in Australia, to assist with the investigations using specialist equipment and skills to help identify a potential cause.