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Gippsland Rail continuous delays sparks call for dedicated railway line by Danny O'Brien

Mr. O'Brien urges Gippsland's dedicated rail line due to recurring delays behind metro trains, highlighting government opposition and compromised skyrail infrastructure. Gippsland Line faces punctuality challenges, hindered by metro projects.

By news@gippsland - 17th August 2023 - Back to News

Frustrations among Gippsland rail users reached boiling point recently when multiple incidents that caused trains to be halted between Flinders and Richmond stations saw Gippsland-bound trains experience significant delays of up to three hours. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O'Brien, said such delays could be avoided if Gippsland was given a dedicated line through Melbourne's suburbs like the Regional Rail Link that services Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

According to Mr. O'Brien, the extensive funds poured into city level crossing removals by Andrews Labor government have diminished Gippsland Line prospects

Gippsland rail delays

Mr O'Brien said, "I've long advocated for Gippsland to receive a dedicated line to prevent the delays experienced by rail users when the trains inevitably get caught behind metro trains past Pakenham."

"I have been asking the Minister for years to at least undertake a feasibility study for a dedicated Gippsland Line, to even look at putting in maybe a couple of additional passing loops, maybe a tunnel at the most congested areas. Each time it has been clear that the Andrews Labor government has no intention of even considering it," he said.

Gippsland rail challenges

The Gippsland Line is one of the worst performing lines for punctuality with June 2023 VLine performance reports indicating that just 79 per cent of trains on the Gippsland line arrived within 10 minutes of their scheduled arrival.

Mr O'Brien says the billions of dollars that the Andrews Labor government has spent on level crossing removals in the city have all but destroyed any hope of a dedicated Gippsland Line being introduced. "The skyrail that has been built to remove level crossings on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line means it would be virtually impossible to now put in a fully dedicated Gippsland line."

"I am not opposed to the removal of level crossings, but I am opposed to all our money being spent on metro projects that cruel our future transport options and give us nothing but disruptions and delays," he said. Mr O'Brien said he would continue to advocate for more reliable and more frequent services past Traralgon on the Gippsland line.

Pictures from Gippsland V/Line Users Group Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com