Statement: V/Line issues escalate as train loses carriage

Today’s shocking incident where a V/Line train reportedly lost a carriage near Tallarook is a damning example of the Allan Labor Government’s failure to deliver safe and reliable public transport for regional Victorians.

Services on the Seymour and Shepparton lines have been shut down, leaving passengers stranded with lengthy delays, crowded coaches, and journeys blowing out by up to two hours. This is unacceptable.

Regional commuters are already bracing for 55 days of bus replacements between September and November. Experts say the work could be completed in a fraction of the time. To now add a safety failure where a train has physically detached a carriage underlines just how badly Labor has mismanaged our rail network.

Labor promised better regional rail, but what we see is chaos, incompetence, and neglect. It should not take a near-disaster to expose the government’s failure to invest in maintenance, safety, and reliability.

I am calling on the Minister to urgently investigate this incident and present a clear plan to restore confidence in our regional rail network. Regional Victorians deserve better than to keep paying the price for Labor’s failures.