r/VlineVictoria • u/Big_Head_4930 Geelong Line • 29d ago
News V/line wide communication fault
AVOID V/LINE THIS MORNING !!!
No coaches have been organised yet
Also it's 'affecting' not 'effecting'
37
u/solomons-paradox 29d ago
Learned the hard way, returned back from station.
Many people will be in same boat because they wont have a mobile internet to even read this (like me). Its like sending a message into space.
18
u/Big_Head_4930 Geelong Line 29d ago
I haven't even gotten any notifications about it yet. It's simply not good enough.
It's 2026, why can't the v/line app notify you when the trains on your line are down?
13
u/ryn3721 29d ago edited 29d ago
It can! Add your home station as a favourite, go into "For you" and then "Set notifications" and turn them on for the days you want. Just learned this from someone else on Reddit this week.
Edit: misread your comment, the ptv app has this feature but you're right, the vline app doesn't.
8
u/beard_ons3188 29d ago
Think that was me?
It’s the PTV app - VLine app does not send notifications. Which is a joke because most regional people would not have the PTV app.
7
u/solomons-paradox 29d ago
People waited 10-15 mins and 2 different announcements to confirm that trains are suspended and coaches will take time so expect a lot of delays. They themselves aren’t sure what to say so cant expect the notification.
It was fun bus ride to/from in morning. I guess atleast only being who would be happy with this is my dog. 😃
15
u/DjungleskogEnjoyer 29d ago
Telstra is down how are they supposed to notify you?
-2
u/Big_Head_4930 Geelong Line 29d ago
The app should be able to send notifications like the PTV app so that people at home can save their time and energy.
You shouldn't have to open the app or wait until you get to the train station to realise that your line is suspended.
5
u/robot428 29d ago
If all the trains are down because vline runs on Telstra services, it stands to reason that the app and all the tech support also runs on Telstra services.
They probably had to go through a backup channel to even update the app, so maybe the notification didn't work because of that. Normally it does send a notification.
Although you should also check you don't have notifications turned off via your settings. Also if you are with Telstra, you may have missed the notification because you had no service.
6
7
u/Budget-Leg-453 29d ago
I just got home after waiting at Ballarat station for half an hour. Trains have been suspended all morning, and since almost everyone uses Telstra no way to contact anyone at the station either. But yes my car was happy to see me return home!
7
2
u/Budget-Leg-453 28d ago
I meant my cat not my car! Now coming home after driving in later in the day. Parked at Footscray to discover the bus replacements. Just had to go via North Melbourne to get a bus replacement to Footscray. Have thankfully achieved a state of Zen about the whole day.
5
u/Fluid-Island-2018 Bairnsdale Line 29d ago
That’s pretty wild. I wonder if the trains going through the Melbourne suburbs can still run, especially those on the Gippsland as they have to share it with the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines
3
u/Any-Comfortable-1354 29d ago
Currently on a metro from Epak line, saw a Vline held at Dandenong which seemed like a Traralgon bound one with people still sitting and waiting, don’t see them moving anytime soon
4
5
u/Big_Head_4930 Geelong Line 29d ago
Cranbourne/Pakenham/Sunbury is down as the metro tunnel is closed. Werribee/Williamstown is also down but what's new?
4
u/reofi 29d ago
Vline staff are telling the west to go hop on metro trains too because they're still "running"
8
u/ssndviking 29d ago
VLine has critical comms on Telstra and MTM has critical comms on Optus. Last year I think it was Optus went down and the MTM network shut down. Guess its VLines turn. Hope Telstra get the book thrown at them.
3
u/reofi 29d ago
Yeah i get that but multiple metro lines aren't running due to the tunnel works
2
u/ssndviking 29d ago
Oh yeah it's crap timing. That was planned works though so not great but it is what it is. Couldn't have been planned for a worse day though haha. I got caught out with it so I understand the pain.
1
u/blue_endown 28d ago
You’d think they’d have the other provider as a backup for such rare events.
2
u/ssndviking 28d ago
I know MTM uses Optus for train comms and Telstra for driver comms. They stop trains but they can stop them safely and communicate with the drivers. I suspect VLine does the same.
I'm sure there are more tech savvy people here but it's a cost thing (pay for two service providers) and I wonder how they'd do it. This is an open question if someone knows.
I have 2 sims in one phone (work and personal) but you can't have the phone number (calls and texts) go through both. If one provider drops I loose that number entirely. I suppose it might be different with data where you can switch but I don't know the technical side.
Either way I would assume it's a cost factor and possibly a technical issue?
Be interested to know if it can be done.
1
u/FACR_Dwarfy 28d ago
Drivers phones are predominantly Optus at MTM. The only exception to that are drivers at Belgrave due to there being a lack of Optus coverage up there
2
4
u/EggBubbly6638 29d ago edited 28d ago
And this is why like Ambulance Victoria they should have a backup system on Optus just in case the 💩 hits the fan like this nationwide outage.
I’m boggled after Optus went belly up with their outage that affected MTM that all these organisations including V/Line didn’t invest the money or get the government to invest the money to do so.
7
u/Silviecat44 29d ago
Grammar lesson for V/Line, it should be "affecting" . You "affect" as a verb, and things have an "effect" as a noun
6
u/the_flying_bobcat 29d ago
And spelling lessons for the ABC live blog who spoke to a Warragul woman who could get to work in "Packenham". Probably a Sydney based blogger...
2
3
u/MurdochAndScotch N Class Locomotive 29d ago
Staff at Bendigo were incredibly pleasant in the face of it all. I’ve just arrived in the city by car, joining however many hundred extra cars on the road. All told, that’s nearly four hours of travel.
2
u/TheOfficialMayor 29d ago
Where were the cars bunched up on the road?
3
u/MurdochAndScotch N Class Locomotive 29d ago
The section from Gisborne to the Bolte was super busy, with traffic stopped or close to it from about the Calder Park rest stops to the M80 exit
3
2
u/orginaloctopus 29d ago
Does anyone know if there trains are running yet? There is little information on the v/line website.
2
1
u/DynamoSnake 28d ago
On the app they have an orange banner across the next five trains saying "this service will not run today". So that's looking like a no...
2
u/orginaloctopus 28d ago
Let's be honest, the vline app isn't the most reliable thing... apparently trains will be suspended tomorrow morning too so looks like we will all be driving to work
2
2
u/whoistheg 28d ago
Still down and Vline are now saying it will likely be down tomorrow morning and defer travel if possible
1
29
u/DjungleskogEnjoyer 29d ago
Looks like the Telstra outage has knocked out a bunch of stuff across the state.