Thursday, 14 November 2024

Ministers statements: regional rail

Gabrielle WILLIAMS (Dandenong – Minister for Government Services, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Public and Active Transport) (14:30): We are not only building more homes and more opportunities for regional Victorians; we are delivering more public transport services for regional communities as well. At the last election we pledged to add almost 200 new weekend services to the V/Line network, and we are almost halfway there on that. When the new V/Line timetable comes into effect next month we will have delivered more than 900 extra weekly services across our regional rail network since coming to government.

That has only been made possible by our work to upgrade every regional rail line and build more reliable and accessible VLocity trains right here in Victoria. We have added more than 50 new services on the Bendigo corridor, almost 300 new services on the Ballarat corridor and more than 450 extra services on the Geelong corridor, including – and I am looking at the member for South-West Coast and hoping she is listening somewhere – additional Warrnambool weekend services. And we have got more weekend services coming for Gippsland, for Northern Victoria and across our beautiful state.

Those opposite love to talk down this government’s improvements to regional rail, but that is because they do not want to draw attention to their own record. The truth is that, under the Liberals and Nationals, trains stopped moving. They went years without ordering a single new train carriage. Rather than boosting services, they cut money from regional rail, and let us not forget they closed passenger services to regional centres like Bairnsdale, Ararat and Maryborough, which Labor reopened. Unlike those opposite, Labor has invested in regional rail and delivered more services and fairer fares.