Hansard debates

Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (12:50:52) — (14 265) My constituency question is to the Minister for Public Transport. Minister, what is the latest information with respect to your government improving the reliability and travel times of V/Line services for Gippsland commuters? It seems that most days Gippsland commuters have to contend with disruptions, delays, cancellations, overcrowding on carriages and trains continually being replaced by buses. This is simply unacceptable for a major regional rail service.

Governments delight in spruiking how much funding they have provided for rail projects such as the level crossing removal program and sky rail; however, one has to ask what benefits Gippsland commuters will actually derive from these works. Gippslanders are bearing the brunt of ongoing disruptions, but the government seems silent on whether travel times will ultimately improve on the Gippsland line. In the late 1990s the then Labor government promised a fast rail service for Gippsland and a travel time of approximately 90 minutes from Traralgon to Melbourne. This promise turned out to be a mirage. Gippsland commuters deserve to know if travel times are going to improve into the future as a result of current works, and if so, by how much.