Kathryn Bordonaro has begun to play a game with her fellow commuters on the station platform in the morning.

As the V/Line train to Melbourne pulls in, she jockeys for the perfect spot so she can be first through the door.

Another crowded peak-hour V/Line train heads for Geelong. Credit:Joe Armao

It's the only way she can be sure to get a seat and avoid having to stand in the aisle all the way to the city.

"You're in this country town and most people nod politely at each other on the platform," says Ms Bordonaro, a finance broker and member of the advisory council to Victoria's small business minister.