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State Budget: V/Line trains must be disability friendly

Train upgrade to include ease of access to people with disability giving them opportunities to participate in everyday community.

By news@gippsland - 26th May 2021 - Back to News

Upgrades to V/Line trains to make all carriages accessible to Victorians with a disability must be funded in Thursday’s State Budget. People with a disability have reported waiting hours stranded in the cold at stations or waiting for replacement taxis because trains weren’t properly fitted out, despite having requested disability access when the tickets were booked.

Access to affordable and reliable transportation allows people with disabilities important opportunities in participation in community life, making their travel easier

Multiple passenger complaints

Shadow Minister for Regional Public Transport Steph Ryan and Shadow Minister for Disability Tim Bull are supporting the calls of advocates and local people to make sure public transport is accessible for all Victorians.

Mr Bull said he’d heard multiple complaints from passengers with special needs arriving at Southern Cross to catch the train to Gippsland, only to be told they couldn’t board due to the trains not having disability facilities.

Time boarding not good enough

Mr Bull said, "This has resulted in people being left on the platform for later services or having to get a taxi home, arriving ours after the scheduled time, often in the early hours of the morning, the problem is two-fold. Not only are these services not disability friendly, but passengers finding this out at the time of boarding is simply not good enough, people need more warning to be able to plan."

Problems worsened

Ms Ryan said it was imperative funds were provided in this week’s State Budget. "The problems have worsened under a city-centric Labor Government that’s obsessed with pouring money into cost blowouts on Melbourne metro projects, while country services are so neglected people with a disability are stranded for hours and unable to board," Ms Ryan said.

Making sure train services are disability-friendly

Ms Ryan said, "What we want to see is a commitment to fix this problem with an allocation of funds to ensure all country train services are disability friendly. Reliable, comfortable, accessible public transport links are a key priority when it comes to boosting liveability outside of Melbourne and making our country communities an even better place to live and work.

"In the interim, while these carriages are being fitted out, there must be a system put in place to better educate and inform passengers, so they are not left on the platform in a stressful state of uncertainty."

Pictures from V/Line Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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