The questions were posed to the Department of Transport and Planning following a media release from the Victorian Government titled Cheaper Fares and Extra Services for Regional Victorians.
From mid April, the Ballarat, Ararat, Warrnambool and Bendigo lines will benefit from the new services, with Shepparton and Seymour being left out.
“More regional Victorians are choosing to take public transport than ever before thanks to our cheaper fares policy — so we’re catering to this extra demand with more trains, more often,” Public and Active Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said.
Almost 75 per cent of extra weekend services promised by the government at the 2022 election have now been delivered.
“We made regional travel more affordable for Victorian families through the regional fare cap and now we’re delivering more services to four regional rail lines,” Premier Jacinta Allan said.
On Monday, March 10, The News asked the Department of Transport and Planning why Shepparton wasn’t on the list of lines to get the extra services.
The email included the following questions:
- In 2021, Shepparton was promised nine services a day but that is yet to be completed; with this announcement it begs the question, why was Shepparton not included in the service increases?
- It has been a year since the promised completion date, what’s the hold-up?
- Is there an updated timeline?
- In the Greater Shepparton City Council Shepparton Passenger Services Project 2017 updated report, the following is said: “Bendigo with a catchment area of similar size and distance from Melbourne, but with almost 50 per cent greater population, currently has 20 weekday services each way to and from Melbourne. From January 2017, Shepparton has four.” What does the department have to say about this disparity?
Two weeks and 12 emails after the questions were originally sent, the premier’s office sent a response.
The email included the following quote and some background on the project.
“The Shepparton Line needs a new, modern signalling system to accommodate more frequent weekday services – this is a complex task which is getting closer to being completed,” a spokesperson said.
The News followed up again, asking for specific responses on each of the questions.
The premier’s office is yet to respond.
