There is not a day that gors by when we do not have an issue with V/Line. It could be their poor rolling stock maintenance, their poor choice of longer distance rolling stock, appalling track maintenance or just the fact their Operations Manager is formerly from a Furniture Store the network is in perpetual crisis.
Just the other day we found only a single line in service.
Not only is Victoria suffering from bad transport planning on the rail network, it can be revealed the new bus express service planned for the over priced North East Link project (costing $250M) will make the journey times slower for passengers than they have today. Only in Victoria and under Jacinta Allan are these projects so badly run and designed. It is just a rerun of Yes Minister!
Last week the Western Lines to Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong suffered almost daily service issues with track problems. The Gippsland Line appears to be down more than it is up and let’s not forget the months of the line being closed because V/Line did not have a rail grinder to maintain the track.
The Warrnambool Line has been a complete disaster since the removal of the longer distance rolling stock and its replacement with 25 year old Vlocity trains designed for short rail journeys.
A city the size of Melbourne cannot rely on V/Line anymore.
When considering what you could do think about how south Gippsland is now completely inaccessible by public transport.
People visit cities on the weekend. Bendigo has been very busy with its art gallery exhibitions many going by train. Ballarat could be the same and Geelong line always busy.
South Gippsland misses out because of a narsassist minister who approved the pulling up of the south Gippsland line. Forever a backwater now.
This the result of DOPT and the various advisors or Consultants who too lazy to leave their offices and ride on the train in uncontrolled setting amongst other passengers on the train system!!!
All favouring the tax funded air and car travel supplied to them as part their contact to and from work over rail!
Maybe a new clause to their employment contact…Tax Funded air or car travel will be only apply to Medical Emergencies and strict conditions apply!!!
How can they make a informed decisions on Metro or Regional Travellers behalf when the refuse to use the the rail system, be it Metro Or V/line?
Only thing the should have as travel pass!!! Unless they too are personally impacted they will not care about the people who use it!
To them is just a cushy job!!!
As for the Store Manager who’a currently Head of Operations on V/line my message is , There ‘s big difference between transporting and moving furniture or good to people around the state!!!
Does anyone know if that Head Of Operation for V/line was DI hire appointment???
From my observation this might get worse if they keep appointing people from off the street with no Railway Operational background for such roles!!!