A FIFTH week-day Warrnambool rail service is being touted by the state government but there are no details on when and how it will be implemented.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan launched Connecting Regional Victoria – Victoria’s Regional Network Development Plan on Monday.
She said the document set out a short, medium and long-term plan for more trains, improved stations and better bus and coach services, to get people where they needed to go quickly, reliably and safely in regional Victoria.
“It is the product of one of the most extensive public consultation programs every carried out in regional Victoria, and reflects the passion, ingenuity and local knowledge of passengers who use our system every day,” Ms Allan said.
A long-term goal of the plan is to deliver five services, five days a week to Warrnambool, however there is no timeline on when the service could begin.
The document shows ‘long term goals’ may be implemented in 10 or more years.
It also said old rolling stock needed to be replaced and stations upgraded but there was no specific dates.
Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell criticised the plan, saying it was nothing more than a “glossy brochure”.
“The state government said this plan would set out a clear plan for regional public transport, but it’s just recycling ideas – it contains nothing new,” Mrs Britnell said.
“People have been asking for five daily return services on the Warrnambool line for the past 10 years. It’s disappointing that after 12 months, that’s all they could come up with.
“The same can be said of the upgrade of the Warrnambool station and car park.
“While everything listed in the plan is welcomed and necessary, they are all things people have been discussing for a decade.
“The plan contains zero detail and no timeline for when this fifth service will be up and running. My concern is this plan is actually just a glossy brochure that makes no commitments.”
Mrs Britnell said the document was a “missed opportunity” for regional rail infrastructure.
The blueprint, which proposes big investment in modern rolling stock across the regional rail network, better stations and increased services, comes after a series of public meetings in the south-west last September.
