METRO will be forced to cancel several train services daily through to the end of next month as it trains more than 900 of its drivers to navigate new sections of track.
Metro spokeswoman Larisa Tait said up to three train services per line would be axed each day until May 30 — less than two per cent of services — to accommodate the training.
Ms Tait said drivers needed to be trained because the tracks at the Springvale Station level crossing had been moved underground.
Drivers would also need to learn to navigate the upgraded Sunbury line when trains resumed on it after Regional Rail Link works wrapped up next week.
“Whenever there are changes to the network, no matter how minor, we need to train our drivers,” Ms Tait said.
“In order to fulfil the training (this time), it wasn’t possible to run the full timetable.
““We have two major projects running at the same time, which creates a challenge in getting all our drivers trained. However, it’s a sign of how many upgrade works are being done on the network.
“We appreciate that these cancellations are an inconvenience for our customers.”
Several peak hour services across Werribee, Sandringham, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Sandringham, Frankston, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines were canned this morning to accommodate the training.
Ms Tait said Metro had tried to implement most of the cancellations during off-peak to reduce the impact on passengers, but this was not always possible as services during that time were already less frequent.
“We can’t create too many gaps in services during that period,” she said.
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the cancellations highlighted the fact that Metro did not have enough train drivers to fulfil the demand on its services.
“It beggars belief that Metro is being forced to cancel peak hour services because it needs to train its drivers,” Mr Morton said.
“It appears at some point there’s been a planning failure.
“To our knowledge, this doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world.”
For information on cancellations, visit metrotrains.com.au/planned-cancellations/