Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Northern Victoria Region

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (14:14): (1329) My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to address serious safety issues on V/Line services. Regular commuters are extremely frustrated by the constant disruptions on the Bendigo to Melbourne line, and serious safety concerns have been raised. A lady, Lisa, was travelling to Melbourne when bus coaches replaced the usual metropolitan rail services from Sunbury due to works on the line. Metropolitan trains arrive frequently and not enough buses were made available to keep up with the number of commuters. Some effort was made to provide shelter for people waiting, but the awnings were inadequate. Many commuters were exposed the elements for long periods, and there were no seats available in the queue area for elderly or less mobile customers. I was also alarmed to hear that V/Line encouraged people to take advantage of the standing room on the buses to move the crowd more quickly, and this occurred on buses travelling on the Calder Freeway at speeds of 100 to 110 kilometres an hour. I ask the minister to review and address the inadequacy of contingency arrangements on V/Line services and put the safety of commuters first.