Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell has called for free travel on the Warrnambool rail line until crippling speed restrictions are lifted.
In State Parliament on Thursday, Mrs Britnell said it is wrong that Warrnambool line passengers were still being asked to pay full price.
“Delays aren’t happening every now and again, every single service is delayed by at least 20 minutes and passengers are told to just put up with it,” Mrs Britnell said.
“It’s wrong passengers are still paying a premium price for what is fast becoming a second or even third rate service.
“Free travel was offered during the wheel wear debacle in 2016 when trains were being delayed and cancelled, so a precedent has been set.
“Passengers who are coming into my office daily, who are emailing and calling to complain about the state of the Warrnambool line service are sick of the delays, they want to know what is being done to fix the problems, when it’s going to be fixed – and so do I.”
Mrs Britnell said the Public Transport Minister, Jacinta Allan, was yet to say what is being done to address the issues that are slowing trains down; she is just saying they are being looked at.
“These delays have been going on for months. Why is it taking so long for the minister to act and why can’t she say what needs to be done?” Mrs Britnell said.
“The train service is imperative to this region and I will continue to place pressure on the Andrews Labor Government until it’s fixed.”
