r/VlineVictoria

I've been travelling frequently on the Shepparton VLine service. The Shepparton service, is a reserved service.

I have a 30kg Labrador. Very excellent travel buddy. However, I cannot, no matter how many times I try, get my tickets booked correctly.

If I phone: they have no idea of the assistance animal policy.

If I show up in person to the service desk at Southern Cross... I still have no luck.

The policy from Vline's own accessibility page:

"A seat must be booked for your assistance animal on reserved V/Line services, however they travel for free."

It is pretty simple. Or so I thought. Nope.

I have to explain, every time: "hello. Yes dog. Yes, I have the assistance animal pass. Yes, the dog needs to be allocated a seat - don't worry, the dog doesn't actually sit in the seat, just on the floor in the foot-space. No, the second seat, by vline's policy is free."

I get put on hold. They look it all up. They allocate a second seat.

At which point "can you please make sure both by seats are just in a single row, and not in a block of four - it is harder to not impact other passengers if I am allocated two seats in a block of four".

And... despite the mental energy explaining this every time: I have never once had a booking made correctly. Almost all the time they put me in a block of 4. My last trip I was allocated two seats (and not in a block of 4)... but the two seats were in different rows!

So, every Vline trip I take, I just show up, sit somewhere, and hope other passengers or the conductor can help me get settled even if I am now taking up a seat allocation that belongs to someone else.

I recently made a complaint via Vline's feedback form. And the team member who called me back didn't know what an assistance animal was. And now, I'm reading off VLine's own accessibility page to a team member who was supposed to he handling the complaint who was even more confused than the booking agents I have spoken too.

I just wish vline would add an "assistance animal pass" to the booking section, so that I could just book independently online using the same system as other free travel passes.

My local railway station. Myself and twelve other regular commuters (that catch the train the same time as me) use it to get to work daily in the regional areas daily.
Since I’ve been working this station has been closed down, but in Autumn we were having a hard time getting seats and sometimes even getting in the door, plus there is never any staff there to assist bar the clueless Hoban people in busy tourist periods.
What would it take to get this station open again? More than the little room on Platform 2 that’s doors don’t shut.

I’m the artist and was told they’d be maintained for a year and then remain there as long as they were in good condition. I’m not really expecting to hear from them either way but the year was up in March and I’m curious :) thanks!

According to the timetable on the V/Line web site, the purple shading on every train indicates reservations are required.

On the FAQs https://www.vline.com.au/Information/FAQs/Question-1 “Are reservations compulsory on V/Line services?” There are a mix of reserved and unreserved carriages.

Which advice is correct?