Save the Gippsland Line

Dear Daniel Andrews,

We the citizens and people of Gippsland do not agree with the recommendation that regional train services be terminated at Pakenham and our vulnerable, disabled and elderly be forced to change trains on their journey to Melbourne. Many of these people are the disadvantaged of our community, often seeking medical assistance & appointments in metropolitan medical centres that are not available in our region.

This change would also affect the bike tourists and young families who would also have difficulty with young children, prams and bikes changing trains to and from crowded metropolitan rail. The Gippsland area is being promoted as a great tourist region with economic benefits and as a way of overcoming the demise of the coal and timber mill industry and continual rail service is a must for this to succeed.

Other frequent users of the system are our people who work in the metropolitan centres and choose to live in the regional and rural areas here for the lifestyle and community opportunities that we have. The current system is unreliable and often runs late, this additional transfer and changeover time will add to the already overly long trip and decrease the reliability of the transport system to them, not to mention the additional time needed to be added to the start of the trip, getting up earlier, the changes in timetables that will be required etc.

We understand that the cost of upgrading the metropolitan system is a burden, but can Gippsland at least have the same standard as the other Victorian regions, that our Melbourne trains actually go to Melbourne, as they now do.

The Federal Minister for Infrastructure who is a resident here has promised his support in working with the state government to help sort the congestion problem.

We ask that you do not accept this part of the report from the citizens jury on face value and seek further consultation with the impacted communities and federal counterparts as you work towards an upgrading of the lines to at least the standard that the other Victorian Regions rail systems already have.

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Showing 949 reactions

Cheryl Kane signed 2016-08-06 12:22:50 +1000
Nicole Beckwith signed 2016-08-06 12:14:32 +1000
Chris Cantlon signed 2016-08-06 12:03:22 +1000

This petition also has the support of the South & West Gippsland Transport Group, who are advocating for a return of rail services to Leongatha. Look at what happened when rail services were to South Gippsland were withdrawn in July 1993 and only electrified to Cranbourne in March 1995, its absence has only worsened congestion on the South Eastern Freeways (Monash Freeway and South Gippsland Highway), increased road deterioration along with heavy vehicle volumes and discouraged people in the region from using public transport, which they were doing up until the withdrawal of the train. It has been clear that increasing capacity as in adding additional tracks on the Melbourne Metropolitan network between Caulfield, Dandenong and Pakenham is the most effective solution. As suspected, the blatantly obvious issue is not being addressed and clearly avoided yet again. Terminating Traralgon and Bairnsdale rail services at Pakenham would make the Gippsland line just like what the Stony Point line has been for so long, a shuttle service where its actual potential is not being realised and patronage results are not maximised.
Alison Harrower signed 2016-08-06 11:59:39 +1000
Neale Stratford signed 2016-08-06 11:54:48 +1000

Another kick in the guts from another uncaring State Government. This myopic decision would be a disaster for Gippsland not to mention discriminatory for the disabled and elderly. Why are Gippslanders always seen as second class citizens in Victoria?
Suzanne Davies signed 2016-08-06 11:54:05 +1000

Dear Daniel Andrews, We need our train service to go from Melbourne to Bairnsdale and back again to Melbourne on a daily basis at least 3 times a day. We have commuting on the early train lots of people going to their work places and others needing to get further down the line and into Melbourne for various reasons. Often hospital or specialists appointments are further down the line and also into Melbourne as our medical services are inadequate in East Gippsland and people need to commute. Often these people have a disability or are older and it is far more accommodating and comfortable to go by train than try and get on a bus with their wheel chairs etc……

The other reason is that we here in East Gippsland are sick of fighting for everything that we get from Melbourne Centric. Where other big rural towns like Ballarat and Bendigo seem to always get the lions share of everything that is on offer in Melbourne. Our train service to Bairnsdale was shut down for 10 years and we all had to go by bus to Sale and then get on the train, we fought for it then to have it returned and we will fight again to not have it taken away. East Gippsland has a growing population and ever expanding growth corridor and the services like Transport, Medical and Education needs to be addressed and improved at the Victorian State Level. More services need to be in place, not take the ones away that already exists. Yours sincerely Suzanne Davies Buchan Vic 3885.
Natasha Howard signed via Laura Orchard 2016-08-06 11:51:37 +1000
Laura Orchard posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 11:46:45 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Laura Orchard signed 2016-08-06 11:46:18 +1000
Margaret Taylor signed 2016-08-06 11:36:02 +1000

This is crazy. It will mean more delays. And transfer of people and luggage onto crowded metro trains.
Ian McKee signed 2016-08-06 11:34:05 +1000

To further disadvantage Gippsland without any inputfrom Gippsland smacks of and anti-Gippsland disposition bythe Government and its advisors. The Government already has us in the gun over brown coal. Would the Melbourne centric decison makers like to go without electricity or water supplies? Stop attacking us and treating us like some embarassment to be shunned and ignored!
Mark Anthony Alindogan signed 2016-08-06 11:30:13 +1000

First the power companies and now the train
Meaghan McKee signed 2016-08-06 11:29:55 +1000
Patti Heeley signed 2016-08-06 11:29:39 +1000

Leave The Gippsland Line alone. Why should we have to change at Pakenham. Typical city idea.
Judi Potts signed 2016-08-06 11:18:28 +1000

I’m a vision impaired wheelchair user, the just the thought of having to change trains half way through ny journey fills me with with fear and would ultimately stop me from traveling to Melbourne for medical and social appointments
Julie Vincent signed 2016-08-06 11:15:20 +1000
Frances Jolly signed 2016-08-06 11:15:01 +1000
Annastasia McAlear posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 11:09:10 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Annastasia McAlear signed via David Hollis 2016-08-06 11:08:28 +1000
Patricia Laine signed 2016-08-06 11:05:30 +1000
Alysha Brooks signed via Emily Wilson 2016-08-06 10:52:32 +1000
Emily Wilson posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 10:40:45 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Joan Laity signed via David Hollis 2016-08-06 10:35:41 +1000
Amber Roberts signed 2016-08-06 10:31:17 +1000

A change in services will kill Gippsland – people will move to Melbourne to be closer to work or quit their jobs & result in a high unemployment rate in Gippsland
Paul Watson signed 2016-08-06 10:15:26 +1000
Dan Musil signed 2016-08-06 10:04:21 +1000
Geoff Willett signed 2016-08-06 10:04:08 +1000
Deanna Mitchell signed 2016-08-06 09:43:05 +1000
David Hollis signed 2016-08-06 09:39:40 +1000

Please listen to what Gippsland people are saying. We deserve a public transport service that goes to Melbourne like every other area of the state.
Wendy Farmer signed via Hartmut Veit 2016-08-06 09:37:40 +1000

Outrage at Infrastructure Victoria’s Citizen Jury proposal that Gippsland trains should no longer travel beyond Pakenham is ill-informed. It seems that this jury neither consulted or had Gippsland people on the jury. Gippsland people already experience long delays. The Gippsland line is the corridor that has been missed out on necessary upgrades yet it experiences having the most unreliable services and overcrowding on trains. Terminating the V-Line trains at Pakenham would create another burden on those that commute to the city for work, education, medical reasons or for entertainment. Having had children that have commuted to the city on a daily basis they have experienced the shambles that are often associated with the already suffering Gippsland V-Line services. This has been an issue over several governments and Gippslanders have had enough.