The 7am train from Epsom to Southern Cross and the 5.53pm from Southern Cross to Bendigo were both at close to 100 per cent capacity, but both only had capacities of 222 passengers – about half that of the other services.

Their capacities will now be doubled with three new VLocity carriages each.

The 5.04pm service from Southern Cross to Kyneton is also at 100 per cent, but all other services on the Bendigo line will now be under 85 per cent capacity.

Patronage on the Bendigo line has increased four per cent in 2016/17 compared with the previous year, while November saw a 12 per cent increase on the previous November.

Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan said the new carriages would provide a more comfortable journey for passengers.

“We’re delivering new trains, a better Bendigo station and more services so people can get to and from Bendigo more comfortably and sooner,” she said.

Three carriages were also added to the 4.02pm service in January, reducing it to 71 per cent capacity.

The state government has added 31 carriages to the V/Line network since October, with 56 more to come. They will be allocated to meet increasing demand.

Just under one-in-five V/Line services on the Bendigo line were late arriving to their destination in the month of November as regional trains continue to be held up while traveling into metropolitan areas.

The latest V/Line performance data showed 80.7 per cent of services were punctual, a decrease on the previous month and on the yearly average.

Overall, 96.5 per cent of services were delivered for the month.

V/Line chief executive officer James Pinder said the trains were increasingly being held up in metropolitan areas due to sharing tracks, while train faults were also causing delays.

“We are working through the issues and improving our interface with metropolitan services is an important part of that plan,” he said.

Punctuality on the Bendigo line improved from 2016 to 2017. The line will receive $91 million in upgrades between Bendigo and Echuca.