Victorian commuters are none the wiser about key public transport projects under the Allan Labor Government after several questions were left unanswered during recent committee hearings in Melbourne.
Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said regional communities continued to pay the price of Labor’s mismanagement with local commuters being left behind when it comes to public transport.
“We’ve seen strikes, bus replacements, extended delays, and infrequent and overcrowded services as some of the many issues my community has faced while commuting on our regional train network,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We have just three trains a day on the V/Line from Albury to Melbourne and just two on the XPT from Sydney – this is completely unacceptable with our region’s population.
“On top of this, there are no services that can get residents from towns like Benalla to larger hubs such as Wangaratta before 9am, meaning prospective workers are missing out on employment opportunities.”
During the hearings, the Minister for Public Transport said V/Line had just recorded its busiest months on record.
“While V/Line continues to get busier and busier, there continues to be a lack of investment into the North East rail line, with no increase in services,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Since fares were reduced, we have seen significantly increased traffic across our regional network – resulting in crowded and uncomfortable services on our trains and coaches.
“The Government acknowledges how busy the services have been but fails to do anything to ensure there is enough space on our trains for all passengers.
“The North East is one of the most under serviced railway lines in the state and the Government’s claims of regional travellers’ satisfaction have left a gap between perception and reality.”
Ms Cleeland also noted that there were still no answers about upgrades to the 40-year-old XPT trains that travel from Sydney to Melbourne, stopping locally in Benalla and Seymour.
