Cathy McGowan MHR

Indi MHR Cathy McGowan says the cancellation of multiple V/Line train services on the North East line since Boxing Day is an intolerable situation that must be immediately addressed by State and Federal Governments.

“I have personally received numerous complaints over the Christmas-New Year period about the cancellation of 15 services on the North East line,” Ms McGowan said.

“This continues to be a great inconvenience to passengers, particularly during this most recent holiday period and is not nearly good enough. I am writing to the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Barnaby Joyce, inviting him to come to Indi as a matter of urgency and receive a briefing on the status of the $100 million upgrade to the North East line.

“The Deputy Prime Minister needs to prioritise the promised upgrade. The previous Minister, Darren Chester has done a good job but it now requires Minister Joyce to follow through on this work.

“This week I have contacted the office of Victorian Transport Minister Jacinta Allan and I will be writing to her also about this terrible state of affairs and the need for urgent action. I am calling on the Victorian Government to make public its plans for the procurement of new rolling stock.”

Ms McGowan said the most recent meeting of the Hume Corridor Passenger Rail Collaboration on December 12 was advised the scope of works for the $100 million upgrade to the North East line would be with the state and federal Ministers prior to Christmas. An announcement on the scope of works is expected to be made in January.

“I will be calling on Minister Joyce to make this scope of works public as a matter of urgency,” she said.