Ministerial Statement: V/LINE TRAIN SERVICES TO WENDOUREE STATION START IN JUNE

[ozbob]

From the Minister for Public Transport

V/LINE TRAIN SERVICES TO WENDOUREE STATION START IN JUNE
Friday, 15 May 2009

Train services to Ballarat?s second railway station at Wendouree will start on Sunday 14 June putting train services within even easier access to local residents.
Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said the opening of the new station was a major boost to public transport in the Wendouree area and surrounds of Ballarat.

?The Brumby Government is taking action to boost regional public transport services and Ballarat is a thriving city and will now join Geelong and Bendigo as the only Victorian cities outside Melbourne to have more than one railway station,? Ms Kosky said.

?The new station is great news for people in Wendouree, Miners Rest and surrounding suburbs who from next month won?t need to drive to central Ballarat to access rail services.

?This in turn will help ease the parking squeeze for commuters who continue to use the main Ballarat Station.?

Wendouree Station will be served by 11 services a day from Monday to Friday and eight services on Saturdays and Sundays, for a total of 63 weekly services.

?And bus routes 16 and 1 which currently stop at Ballarat Station and routes 17 and 6 which are the Miners Rest and Webbcona Loop will be re-routed to stop at Wendouree Station to provide quality transport connections,? Ms Kosky said.

?Wendouree Station will provide new facilities and increased car parking which will help to cater for the enormous increase in the number of passengers using V/Line?s Ballarat to Melbourne services.?

Ballarat?s second station, located 100 metres from the Gillies Street level crossing in Wendouree will have a station building with staffed ticket office, air-conditioning, heating and toilets, bus and taxi bays, drop off zone, bike racks and lockers and a 200 space car park.

Member for Ballarat West Karen Overington MP said final touches were taking place over the coming weeks with minor works to the station roof and installation of signage, ticketing system, communications and IT services. Train driver training and V/Line staff familiarisation is also underway in preparation for the opening.

?This is a community asset and the community have played a vital role in the station?s development from naming the station to the creation of the colourful murals welcoming commuter,? Ms Overington said.

The opening of Wendouree Station will also see the introduction of a new V/Line timetable for the Ballarat / Ararat line from 14 June, to accommodate for the extra stopping time at Wendouree station. V/line coach timetables will be altered from Ararat to also accommodate these changes.  Copies of the timetable will be available on the V/Line website from early June, and printed booklets available from 7 June.

For more information about Wendouree Station visit www.transport.vic.gov.au

[ozbob]

 

[ButFli]

And to think that Queensland can't manage even one service a day to Toowoomba!