
South-west residents shouldn't have to spend hours on a train built for use in cities, according to state opposition leader Matthew Guy.
The Standard revealed last week the region's long-awaited VLocity trains would have no snack cars and fewer seats when they finally roll into town.
Mr Guy slammed the decision and said passengers had been waiting too long for much-needed train upgrades.
"We committed to long-haul VLocities here back in 2018 - so did the state government, but they haven't arrived," Mr Guy said.
He said a cafe service was a basic need for long-haul train lines.
Mr Guy said the trains promised by the Coalition government would have had first and economy class carriages and a cafe.
"When you're getting three hours on a train beyond Melbourne, it's important you have some level of amenity," he said. "It's totally unreasonable for people to be sitting in a bolt upright position without any access to a cafe service. It's about putting the passengers first - that's what it should be about.
"Country passengers deserve a lot more than to be sitting in the equivalent of an interurban train for three or four hours."
Mr Guy said he believed including a cafe would simply be providing a "straight forward good quality service for people in country and regional Victoria".
A V/Line spokesman said the overwhelming feedback from passengers was they wanted a fast, reliable train service.
"Which is why we're delivering more modern VLocity trains to give passengers the better services they deserve," he said.
"We understand there are some passengers who would prefer to have catering facilities on board during their journey - we acknowledge this will be a change and will work with them to see what alternative options are possible."
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