The father of two completed his study at Federation University’s Mount Helen campus before taking up a job with Lab 79, a co-working start-up space located in Tech Park.  

In order to arrive at work by 9am, Mr Layton has just one viable option: a 6.53am service which arrives at 7.43am, more than an hour before his starting time.  The only similar service departs from Bacchus Marsh at 8.24am, pulling into Ballarat at 9.12am. 

With 10 services running from either Ballarat or Bacchus Marsh after 6am to get into Southern Cross before 9am, the largely single-track infrastructure simply lacks the space to add trains to travel in the opposite direction.  The data analytics consultant said the infrequent service was a major drawback in Ballarat’s ability to attract talent to its workforce.  

“Most of the time I drive because of the lack of services, but every now and then I’ll try and catch the train or the bus,” Mr Layton said of his journey to Ballarat.  “I have a flexible schedule but at the same time my clients don’t, they start at 8.30 or 9am and they want to get going by then so to try and do a normal work day (around public transport) is odd.”

Professionals working in Ballarat hoping to make the trip back to Melbourne or the western suburbs have it no easier.  A 5.15pm bus service travels express to Southern Cross, but those destined for other stops are forced to pull off the freeway on a journey which can take 115 minutes. 

Mr Layton said while a faster train would be welcomed, additional services were at the top of his wish list.

“I firmly believe that if we got better services into Ballarat more people would come in,” Mr Layton said.  “I’m trying to minimise time away from home and I don’t mind working hard when I’m here and doing the hours, but doing the hours and then travelling is a big pain and it’s not why you choose to live on this side of the city.”

A single medical emergency last Friday evening was enough to send the Ballarat train line into meltdown.

Trains banked up in both directions after an elderly man on a Ballarat-bound peak hour service required immediate medical attention, bringing the line to a standstill as paramedics tended to their patient at Bacchus Marsh. 

With just one line to work with, not only were Ballarat-bound passengers stuck on the tracks, but so too were those destined for the city.   

Over the past two decades alone patronage along the Ballarat train line has skyrocketed as service numbers have doubled, with a professional class of commuters increasingly using Ballarat as a satellite city.  Indeed, patronage on the line jumped by more than 400,000 between 2014/15 and 2015/16, highlighting the strains on the service.

While a clear demonstration of the line’s success, the boosted service numbers mean one incident, such as that of last Friday night, now has the potential to affect thousands of commuters.

“(The line is) being put under a fair bit of stress now and the days of a single line being able to deal with that satisfactorily are coming to an end,” Rail Futures Institute president John Hearsch said. 

The state government’s windfall $518 million investment from the 2016/17 budget will go some way to addressing the capacity concerns through the creation of three new passing loops at Warrenheip, Spreadeagle and Ballan as well as duplication of track between Melton and Deer Park. 

“The Ballarat Line Upgrade will deliver much needed extra services in the morning and afternoon peak, plus a train every 40 minutes off peak to get people where they need to go,” a Ballarat Line Upgrade spokesperson said. 

Mr Hearsch said while the loops would add welcome capacity to a line which is currently running 20 services in each direction a day, counter peak customers would never be truly looked after until the entirety of the track was duplicated. 

Currently just two trains from Southern Cross arrive in Ballarat before 9am on weekdays, taking 92 and 95 minutes. 

“Until you have double lane all the way you don't have that flexibility. 

“Once you have a double line you can run an extraordinary number of trains at relatively close intervals.”

Head to Twitter to show your support for an improved rail service by using the #59minuteBallarat hashtag.