Public Transport Minster Jacinta Allan must now realise timetable changes won’t fix the problems that have been plaguing the Warrnambool rail line.
The first service to Melbourne under the new timetable was delayed 20 minutes on Monday morning, on top of the 22 minutes which had been added to the travel time to account for ongoing speed restrictions.
“This is becoming ridiculous,” Mrs Britnell said.
“They added time to the trip to take into account speed restrictions, but the trains are still running 20 minutes late. This has flow on effects to every other service on the line.
“There is a fundamental problem here. The line is broken, but the Government is refusing to outline how it plans to fix it – instead, they apply band aid solutions like altering the timetable.
“The Minister fronted the media to talk about how wonderful it is they have added extra services but failed to outline what she plans to do to fix the broken Warrnambool line.
“If this was a well-run business, the Minister would be demanding improvements and doing everything in her power to ensure performance targets are met.”
Mrs Britnell said the government needed to make a significant investment in the Warrnambool line to fix the tracks so trains can run at normal speed again.
“The last major investment in rail infrastructure was made by the former Liberal-National Government when it installed a $10 million passing loop east of Colac, replacing the one ripped out by the Bracks/Brumby Labor Government,” Mrs Britnell said.
“I will not stop putting pressure on this government until it makes a significant commitment to upgrade the infrastructure on the Warrnambool line that will improve safety and the experience of passengers.”
