Article: Record patronage for V/Line on Gippsland train services

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Warragul & Drouin Gazette

Record patronage for V/Line on Gippsland train services

Record patronage for V/Line on Gippsland train services

Keith Anderson
22 June 2010

V Line says it is heading for another record year of patronage on its Gippsland line passenger services.

Responding to criticisms by State Opposition public transport spokesman Terry Mulder about services failing to meeting punctuality and reliability targets, V Line's communications and media adviser James Kelly said customer feedback and patronage did not back up Mr Mulder's comments.

Mr Mulder described as "disastrous" the fact 23 percent of services between Traralgon and Melbourne last month were "officially late", that is they arrived more than six minutes after scheduled times.

He said it caused in people to be late for work, school and hospital and medical appointments.

According to Mr Mulder it was the 35th consecutive month targets for Gippsland service punctuality were not met.

However. Mr Kelly said most travellers understood reasons for delays and it was wrong to suggest there was a loss of confidence in the passenger train service in the region.

"We are headed for another financial year of record patronage in Gippsland with figures indicating the number of passenger trips will be eight percent up on the previous year.

"People are seeing the benefits of upgraded rail facilities and a 50 percent increase in services in recent years," he said.

Mr Kelly said many of the delays last month were due to further works to improve the Gippsland network, such as replacing 80,000 timber track sleepers with concrete ones and reconstruction of the Bunyip railway platform and station. There are speed restrictions where this work is occurring, he said.

Mr Mulder said country people were entitled to better given the huge amount of money the government had spent on the regional fast rail project.

He claimed there had been insufficient investment in training adequate numbers of drivers and conductors and in addressing train and infrastructure faults. A lot of public transport money is being funnelled into the problem plagued Myki ticketing system instead of rail services, Mr Mulder said. He said a Coalition government should adopt a back to basics approach that included practice maintenance and sufficient trained staff especially drivers.