Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:00): (1529) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and the action I seek is delivery of a six-carriage VLocity train set to the Warrnambool line and to immediately undertake the works required to restore full capacity and dignity to train travel for the people of South-West Coast. Right now the Wodonga train line operates with six carriages, including buffet cars, and has the ability to navigate short platforms without any difficulty. They have USB charging points and tray tables and ample room for luggage. It shows what is entirely possible when the will is there to deliver a suitable service. But on the Warrnambool line our story is very different. In recent years our service has been reduced to just three carriages, with no buffet car at all. This is a significant cut in capacity and comfort for a region that relies heavily on rail travel for work, for medical appointments, for education and to stay connected.

The explanation we have been given is that government cannot put more carriages on our line because our platforms are too short, but we know that is simply not the full story. Other stations, including in places like Avenel, just north of Seymour, manage short platforms with ease. Doors can be controlled, and operational solutions already exist and are used elsewhere in Victoria. The technology is available. The method is proven. The excuse does not stand. ‘Train now arriving at Avenel. Please check there is a platform available. Please mind the gap. Passengers in the rear cars may need to move forward to ensure a platform is available before exiting the train,’ unfortunately, is something we do not hear on the Warrnambool train line, but we need to.

This issue with train capacity is just one example, one symptom, of a much deeper pattern of neglect across South-West Coast. This government seems comfortable with giving $15 billion to outlaw motorcycle gangs but not with providing a suitable and efficient train service to South-West Coast. Despite their promises, we are not fooled. People in South-West Coast deserve better than a government that looks the other way while mismanagement festers at the very top. We are still using paper tickets on our train, a system that belongs to another century. Long after other regions have moved on to modern integrated ticketing, our passengers line up for paper tickets when they should be tapping on and tapping off. It is outdated, it is inconvenient and it is another reminder that investment and innovation simply are not reaching regional Victoria. When even basic upgrades bypass our region, it becomes impossible to ignore the message: this tired and arrogant state Labor government does not value the regions.