Residents gathered with Bass MP Ken Smith at Nar Nar Goon last Saturday to raise concerns about planned changes to country trains. Picture: Meagan Rogers.
By Paul Dunlop
ANGRY local commuters say new, faster train services will leave them stranded at the station.
Residents from Nar Nar Goon, Bunyip, Tynong and other towns are rising against planned changes to V/Line train times, saying they will be severely disadvantaged.
Hundreds of rural commuters rely on the trains to get to and from the city each day.
Commuters were “dumbfounded” to find a new peak hour flagship service wouldn’t be stopping to drop off passengers at local stations along the way.
Denis Doherty of Nar Nar Goon said many Cardinia commuters currently caught the 4.59 pm train from Flinders Street. The new service planned to slash all stops between Dandenong and Drouin — a move that would create havoc, Mr Doherty said.
“We have been bumped off peak services to help the trains go faster. People use that service every day, it’s a disaster,” Mr Doherty said.
The new timetable will be introduced later this year. V/Line has said it will deliver a substantial increase in rail services along the Gippsland line.
But Mr Doherty said local residents would have to leave for work earlier and would not get home until up to an hour later than normal.
“People are saying it is really going to stuff them up. It cuts into family time, it’s at least an extra five hours a week wasted,” he said.
More than 60 people met at the Nar Nar Goon railway station on Saturday to voice their concerns. Many more gathered last night (Tuesday) at the Bunyip town hall.
Local MPs and Cardinia councillors weighed into the issue, siding with residents. Bass MP Ken Smith said he had been flooded by complaints. He labelled the changes a disgrace.
Elizabeth Montgomerie of Longwarry said she had used the 4.59pm service every day for more than 16 years. She said she felt “dumped” when told it would no longer stop at local stations.
“I was dumbfounded and upset at being so disadvantaged. ‘More trains, more often’ is the slogan, what a joke. It is a huge blunder,” she said.
Jenni Orton of Nar Nar Goon said country passengers had been ignored.
“We have been left stranded,” Mrs Orton said.
“We have tolerated a service that has belowacceptable performance and often delivers passengers to their destinations late but we will not tolerate being disadvantaged and worse off as a result,” she said.
V/Line communications manager Dionne Lew acknowledged residents had concerns and said the transport provider was listening.
“V/Line has asked residents that they send us the outcomes of their meetings so that we have a clear understanding of their concerns,” she said.
“V/Line has tried to address as many of the issues raised during the timetable consultation period as possible, with about 90 per cent of customer feedback able to be incorporated into the new timetable which is a pretty good result,” Ms Lew said.
“With a complex statewide rail network it is difficult to satisfy everyone, however, we are confident that this new timetable achieves a good balance, with significant benefits for the vast majority of our customers.”
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