Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Northern Victoria Region

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport and Minister for Transport Infrastructure, regarding the extreme heat policy on V/Line train services. Once upon a time it had to be very hot in Victoria for trains to go slow, but I was on the train to Bendigo when it was less than 30 degrees and the conductor announced the extreme heat policy applied. Yesterday it was high 30s, and the full extreme heat timetable was applied to Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca, Seymour and Shepparton train services. Trains that travel at 160 kilometres an hour slow to 90 kilometres an hour or less, so the journey takes longer, and some services are replaced by coaches.

Other states, like Queensland and South Australia, have built public transport networks that are resilient to extreme heat. Even trains on the Nullarbor Plain travel at full speed despite the high temperatures. It is no surprise that Victoria, particularly northern Victoria, gets hot in summer. So what is the government doing to build a more resilient rail network so that, like on the Nullarbor Plain, extreme heat rail speed restrictions do not have to apply during the summer?