Steph Ryan MLA

Safety on the North East rail network has been raised in State Parliament by Euroa MLA Steph Ryan.

:Ms Ryan: My question is to the Minister for Public Transport. V/Line trains between Seymour and Craigieburn have been operating on a double line block system since the 1890s.

So that travellers on this line can be assured that the minister has a personal understanding of how antiquated this signalling system is, will the minister explain right now how this system works?

Ms Horne (Williamstown—Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Public Transport): I thank the member for her question. Let me just say from the outset we take safety very seriously. That is why all the trains that run on our system actually do so under the safety regulator.

The way that the signalling works on that is with phone calls instead of bell codes.

Ms Ryan: On a point of order, Speaker, the phone system, the permission system, is what is currently operating. What I actually asked the minister was whether she could explain the double line block system.

The Speaker: Order! I am unable to rule on the point of order because I do not know how those systems work either, so you are asking the wrong person to have that debate.

Ms Ryan: Minister, this signalling system has not been working for two and a half years, and the manual for this system says that when broken, block instruments must be repaired as soon as possible. Why hasn’t this system been fixed and on what date will this signalling system be fixed?

Ms Horne: Let us be clear: the system that the member is referring to relied on Morse code. What we are doing on the Seymour line is now relying on a system that uses phone calls, which is the double block system that she is referring to. However, safety is a matter for the safety regulator. What we are doing is investing in a $27 million upgrade on the Seymour line, because that provides services.