Words by Jay Dillon Images by One Hour Out & Visit Victoria
What does the Maharajas’ Express, the Royal Scotsman and the Eastern & Oriental Express have in common with Victoria’s V-Line? Probably not much at all…certainly not the price, now that V-line has capped all regional trips to under $10.
The new fares will appear for all bookings made on the V/Line booking system from March 31, setting a daily travel cap of $9.20 and bringing the fare into line with Metro Melbourne’s daily rate fares.
It’s a significant reduction in the cost of regional train travel, where currently a midweek trip from Southern Cross station to Mildura would cost $56.80 for an adult one-way ($28.40 concession), the same trip after March 31 would be just $9.20 ($4.60 concession). This represents an 83% reduction and makes train travel, even more, cheaper than travelling by car (the same trip would cost around $100 in a mid-sized petrol SUV.)
In addition to the new weekday daily tickets used in the above example, the program results in even greater savings for holders of a Weekend Saver ticket, with weekends and public holidays capped at $6.70 for Adults ($3.35 concession). In all cases, children travel with the same fare offered to adult concession holders.
The fare reduction was a key campaign promise of both parties in the November elections, with the aim of assisting to reduce the cost of living for regional residents who regularly need to travel to Melbourne and other city hubs for work and medical appointments.
The announcement is equally welcome for regional tourists, who may never have considered the train as an option for reaching a destination due to fares representing only a minimal saving on petrol prices. Utilising the V-line train service for a weekend away allows passengers an opportunity to sit back and relax with a good book or a game of cards with their group. The ability to take a bike on board makes for the perfect start of a multi-day bike trip along Victorian’s many converted rail trails.
The new fares are available for booking now on the V-line website.
THE DETAILS
What: V/Line price reduction
More Info: V Line
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