The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has said that regional Victorians are continuing to be disadvantaged by the Allan Labor Governments bungled Myki upgrade.
From the 2023-24 Victorian State Budget, the Allan Labor Government allocated $543.6 million towards the public transport ticketing asset renewal project with a completion date of quarter four of 2026-27.
However, in this year’s state budget, the project represented a $136.7 million budget blowout and a delay of more than 18 months.
“The technology to allow passengers to tap on with their personal devices has existed for some time now, yet we still can’t even use a Myki card on the North-East line,” Ms Cleeland said.
“It took until last year before regional passengers could even use online tickets to travel, and now we’ve learnt we won’t be able to access Tap and Go Myki payments until 2030 or beyond.”
Ms Cleeland said this was another in a long line of persistent issues that have impacted regional train passengers.
Commuters across the region have reported a series of failures that have severely impacted their ability to access reliable public transport, including:
- Trains failing to stop and pick up passengers, leaving travellers stranded.
- Frequent and last-minute service cancellations.
- A lack of suitable train services leaving and arriving at stations each day.
- Overcrowded trains with no available seating, forcing passengers, some of whom are elderly or have disabilities, to stand for the duration of their journey.
- Reserved seating not being honoured, creating confusion and distress for passengers.
“These failures are not only causing significant inconvenience, but they are also undermining confidence in regional public transport, disproportionately affecting those who rely on it for work, medical appointments, and essential travel,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Given the North East line’s historical issues and the promises made regarding service improvements, this situation is unacceptable.
“The Allan Labor Government has completely mismanaged regional public transport, and regional Victorians are paying the price.”