Article: Nine new trains in $236 million regional rail package

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Nine new trains in $236 million regional rail package

Nine new trains in $236 million regional rail package
Article from: AAP

July 31, 2008 01:51pm

NINE new fast trains will be added to Victoria's regional fleet under a $236 million package announced today.
The three-carriage VLocity train sets will be introduced by 2012, increasing the capacity of the state's regional fast rail corridors by 50 per cent.

Mr Brumby made the announcement in the regional city of Ballarat, which will benefit from the additional trains, together with Geelong, Bendigo and Traralgon.

An extra carriage also will be added to the existing fleet as part of the $236 million package.

"The 28 new VLocity carriages as part of this order, will add more than 2000 extra seats across the network, which is great news for people living, working or visiting regional Victoria and means we will be able to get more people on busy services,'' Mr Brumby said.

The new trains come on top of 22 carriages under construction, which are due to be rolled out across the network from next month.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said a carriage a month would be added to the system, creating longer trains and the need to extend some platforms.

"Passengers will notice a major difference in their train travel experience and see first-hand our Government's commitment to investing in regional rail,'' she said.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the time frame for the new trains could be pushed out to 2013, taking into account time for testing.

"There are a lot of people on these lines now who are sitting on the floor in peak hour to and from Melbourne.

"I would put it to you that they'll have calluses on their backsides before they get to use any of these new trains.''

Mr Mulder said the regional rail network was dogged by late running trains and standards were very poor.

He said the Government's transport solution announcement, expected later this year, would not bring any improvements for more than four years.

"So we're in for a pretty rough trot for a long period of time with overcrowding and cancelled trains,'' he said.