V/Line stays in the slow lane with Labor

V/Line passengers want reliable trains that run on time, says Shadow Minister for Public Transport David Hodgett.

Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews have been unable to deliver punctual trains and lower the cancellation rate.

Commuters across Victoria find not just overcrowded but late trains, or trains that don’t turn up at all. In March, almost one in five V/Line trains ran either six minutes or more late – short distance lines like Geelong, Ballarat and Traralgon – or 11 minutes or more late – long distance lines like Bairnsdale and Warrnambool.

Jacinta Allan is so ashamed of V/Line’s timekeeping that she still has not released the April figures.

Daniel Andrews’ announcement is not providing the extra weekend train that Central Goldfields tourism-reliant towns like Maryborough and Clunes are crying out for.

Jacinta Allan is not providing any immediate additional train frequencies between Southern Cross and Albury, Bairnsdale, Echuca or Swan Hill.

Nor are there any extra weekday Shepparton line trains until at least 2020 under Labor, and no extra trains to Seymour.

Labor refuses to provide the new trains for the Albury and other long distance lines that passengers need.

Melton is Victoria’s fastest expanding suburban area but during the off peak on weekdays it still only typically has two trains an hour and even lesser train frequencies on weekends.

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Public Transport, David Hodgett:

With Victoria’s population growing at around 100,000 a year, the Andrews Labor Government has no long term plan for how to move people around our state.

Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan’s solution to our transport chaos is to take the Donald Trump approach, make a big media statement and send the bill to Canberra.

People are sick and tired of the current system under Daniel Andrews, with delays, overcrowding and cancellations – people want answers not excuses.