REGIONAL rail operator V/Line is testing mobile signal strength in VLocity train carriages to find blackspots on commuter lines, including the Traralgon line.
The tests have been designed to determine the extent and location of mobile reception blackspots.
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This round of testing is taking place despite V/Line having already spoken to telecommunication companies to identify where the blackspots are.
Poor mobile reception in the new trains is a well-known issue for commuters, and a V/Line investigation obtained by Greens MLC Greg Barber under Freedom of Information last year showed the rail operator did not think a solution would come easily.
V/Line has previously trialled attaching an antenna to a VLocity carriage in an attempt to improve reception.
Data collected through the tests will be used by V/Line and governments when examining ways to improve reception in blackspots.
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The speed of response has been unsatisfactory for Mr Barber, who has previously slammed state and federal governments, Telstra and V/Line for not pushing harder for a solution.
Adding a WiFi service to trains has been suggested as a short-term fix for poor reception and as a way to improve patronage, but V/Line told a customer consultation in Ballarat last year there were no plans to implement such a service.
Monitoring stations will be on selected trains over the next few weeks and V/Line has asked commuters to not disturb the operators.
How good is your mobile phone reception on Traralgon line trains? Let us know below.
It is good to have a phone blackhole, please let it be … the train journey gives me a rest from all those mobile phones around me.
Agreed, I don’t want phones to work. I want data so I can work. Data is non-existent from Richmond to almost at Caulfield and from Pakenham to Nar Nar Goon, then we lose it after Longwarry but regain it at the top of the hill. After Warragul I can’t say but there’s regulars who would know.
Although I fully support not allowing voice communications on trains due to customer comfort, I also fully endorse data being readily available to all passengers.
Being a work commuter from Drouin and Bunyip for over 10 years the requirement of having a data connection for work purposes is essential.
If I could access my work network and emails for the whole journey, I could almost Gurantee my work/life balance would improve from not being in the office for too many hours!
My findings are similar to Craig’s..spotty coverage between Richmond and Caulfield and drop-outs both sides of Pakenham, where the rail line swings away from the Freeway. I use Telstra for both data and mobile.