Euroa electorate
Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (14:55): (1258) My question is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport. After yet another shocking failure, where a V/Line train lost a carriage near Tallarook, how will this government restore confidence in our regional rail network? Passengers were stranded for several hours, forced onto crowded replacement coaches, and services on the Seymour and Shepparton lines were shut down during peak hour. This is on top of the government’s planned 55-day shutdown between September and November when trains will once again be replaced by buses. Then to add a catastrophic safety breach where a train physically detached a carriage shows just how badly Labor has mismanaged and neglected our rail network. It highlights years of neglect driven by Labor’s inability to manage money. While billions are wasted on cost blowouts and delays in Melbourne, regional Victorians pay the price, missing work, health appointments and vital travel. We were promised better rail; instead we have been delivered chaos, incompetence, repeated failures and stranded passengers. I call on the minister to urgently investigate this dangerous incident and present a clear plan to restore confidence in our rail network.