Cathy McGowan (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Many people depend on trains to travel to Melbourne to see specialists or receive treatment. There is huge inconvenience if the train runs late or, worse still, is cancelled or becomes a bus. It causes great stress and inconvenience. Adding to this stressful situation is the fact it can take months before another appointment can be rescheduled.

On Monday morning, 31 August, Wodonga resident Jackie Partridge and her son Nathan were left stranded at Chiltern when the 6.35 am train from Albury to Melbourne broke down. Nathan had an appointment at the Royal Melbourne Dental Hospital. Buses to replace the service were at over an hour away. Jackie says that next time, they will have to travel to Melbourne the day before to get there in time for the doctor.

The V/Line rolling stock absolutely needs to be replaced with new carriages and engines. The people of north-east Victoria cannot afford to continue with this deplorable state of affairs. These trains and locos are past their use-by date. They are limping towards a replacement date that remains unknown. People in north-east Victoria absolutely deserve better transport infrastructure. I call on the Commonwealth government to take really seriously and support the Victorian government to meet Indi and northern Victoria's needs, using the Victorian regional network development plan to come up with a business plan to replace our rolling stock and give us a transport service we can rely on. (Time expired)