Save the Gippsland Line

gippsland-line-2.jpg

 

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.

 

1,310 SIGNATURES
1,200 signatures

Will you sign?


Showing 948 reactions

  • Patrick Curtain
    signed 2016-08-06 20:03:44 +1000
  • Glenn Rodda
    signed 2016-08-06 20:03:05 +1000
    I agree that having a disabled person in my household, how inconvenient changing trains is
  • Garry Holt
    signed 2016-08-06 20:01:38 +1000
  • Melanie Bajada
    signed 2016-08-06 20:00:44 +1000
  • Steven Myrteza
    signed 2016-08-06 19:56:23 +1000
  • Jodie Young
    signed 2016-08-06 19:54:28 +1000
    My father who has low vision and no drivers licence users this service to melbourne once a month to be able to see his specialists. My mother after undergoing cancer treatment and chemo uses this service to get her to peter mac in the city as she can not drive in the city. Pulling this train limits medical services for clients.
  • Debbie Dawson
    signed 2016-08-06 19:42:55 +1000
  • Trudy Love
    posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 19:42:54 +1000
    A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
  • Trudy Love
    signed 2016-08-06 19:42:20 +1000
  • Fiona Matlock
    signed 2016-08-06 19:36:53 +1000
    I bet if we had a minister on our line in state government like Bendigo, then we wouldn’t have this rubbish to deal with.
  • Janyne Beecham
    signed 2016-08-06 19:28:11 +1000
    I think its disgusting that its always Gippslanders that gets the chop. Rail direct through to Melbourne should remain. It is a matter of life & death for some of our elderly who have to travel to Melbourne for treatment. Some of whom may not be able to travel, if it meant having to keep changing trains. I also have a medical condition which requires frequent use of toilets, which are not available on metro trains. Therefore I believe its discrimination if this goes ahead, as I too wouldn’t be able to use the train on medical grounds.
  • Cathleen Page
    signed 2016-08-06 19:27:32 +1000
  • Lynn Nation
    signed via 2016-08-06 19:27:16 +1000
  • Kacey Stephenson
    signed 2016-08-06 19:25:59 +1000
    I rely on this service to get to uni multiple times a week. Without this line I wouldn’t make it to my classes on time and would have to forfeit my degree. Please save the Gippsland Line!
  • rhonda king
    signed 2016-08-06 19:19:23 +1000
  • Rick Hodgskiss
    signed 2016-08-06 19:18:54 +1000
  • Mary Berry
    signed 2016-08-06 19:18:16 +1000
  • Jodie Willis
    signed 2016-08-06 19:17:38 +1000
    It seems unthinkable that the current State Gov would invest in sky rail yet not build a solution for the need for a dedicated line for country services at the same time. The fact that those living in Gippsland have to constantly lobby for adequate train services is offensive, particularly given the money made by government from the industries based in Gippsland including gas/oil, coal, timber and agriculture. It’s time to invest in the long term public transport capabilities for the region.
  • jannette zerek
    signed via 2016-08-06 19:17:38 +1000
    This is a digrace. We are not second class citizens. A lot of people commute to work.
  • Alison Edgar
    posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 19:17:31 +1000
    A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
  • Michelle Harty
    signed 2016-08-06 19:14:31 +1000
    Please for a lot a gippslands older residents they rely on the train service for specialists appointments at Monash medical centre and to be able to visit family. We need the train service. Buses are too hard for he elderly to climb into.
  • Kershel Elliott
    signed 2016-08-06 19:12:38 +1000
    Why are you making a long difficult journey for some even harder by proposing we change onto already over crowded trains.
  • Irene Reay
    signed 2016-08-06 19:11:23 +1000
    This state is going backwards, and I am sick of it
  • Melissa Dawson
    posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 19:10:24 +1000
    A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
  • Melissa Dawson
    signed 2016-08-06 19:09:31 +1000
  • Libby Morris
    signed 2016-08-06 19:09:02 +1000
  • Tina Gris
    signed 2016-08-06 19:08:19 +1000
  • Amanda Frith
    signed 2016-08-06 19:02:57 +1000
  • Helen Orr
    signed 2016-08-06 18:58:31 +1000
    How ridiculous to even think about taking away the services to Traralgon. They should be improved, what a joke ! But not funny .
  • Thomas Hammond
    signed 2016-08-06 18:57:57 +1000
    I take a v-line service to and from Warragul to clayton every week day. The trains constantly arrive 20 minutes late either way and there has been 3 times where there has been no communication at clayton that a v-line service had been cancelled. Therefore having to constantly ask metro workers at clayton and Dandenong as to when a bus will arrive. Sometimes taking 3 hours in a trip that should take just over 1. Don’t make a service that is already ridiculously unreliable even worse, it seems like we are always cast aside just like at the start of the year interruptions.