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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Janne Blacket signed 2016-08-06 15:41:35 +1000
Christine Harrison posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 15:39:21 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Shane Ridley signed 2016-08-06 15:35:33 +1000
Karen Mackay signed 2016-08-06 15:09:24 +1000

The VL should continue through to Melbourne.
Jasmine Lindemann signed via Katherine Cunningham 2016-08-06 15:06:22 +1000

I travel home to Bairnsdale often and i cannot think of anything worse then getting a train or spending anytime in Pakenham. I also would no longer think its safe to send my 13 year old cousin on the train by herself if she had to battle metro trains on her own (she is from Gippsland)
Kelly Abbott signed 2016-08-06 15:06:10 +1000

Listen to the people of Gippsland, those who actually will be affected by this recommendation, not some group of northern-Victorians who will be unaffected. Our rail services deserve to be improved, not ruined. We deserve a direct line to Flinders/Spencer St just like all other V-Line services have. We’ve suffered enough with the poor Vline services lately and we deserve better. Invest in Gippsland, it’ll be the best decision you ever make. I’ve moved here from Melbourne, choosing Gippsland for a multitude of reasons, and I could have chosen anywhere else.

These trains keep my family in contact – my mother takes the train to Traralgon regularly to babysit my children so I can work. Making her change in Pakenham will make her, as a small woman, uncomfortable and feel unsafe. My sons may one day use the train to access higher education in Melbourne and I want them to have this opportunity without shuffling around in Pakenham. Listen to us Daniel Andrews. Please.
Katherine Cunningham posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 14:43:30 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
@livinggently tweeted link to this page. 2016-08-06 14:43:27 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended? http://www.votv.org.au/gippsland_line?recruiter_id=1333
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Katherine Cunningham signed 2016-08-06 14:42:39 +1000

This is a life line you are cutting off here, don’t do it.
jody hamilton-kincaid signed 2016-08-06 14:34:36 +1000
Angela Kellock signed 2016-08-06 14:31:43 +1000

When travelling such long distances, any change to the existing service makes it unworkable. Vline trains offer a variety of seating & costs (first class versus economy), dining facilities and toilets on each carriage. While nothing grand or fancy, these facilities are vital. Being able to stay in the same seat to make the long journey to and fro from Melbourne is also important. Surviving on a carers pension, the cost of train travel is more sensible both on my hip pocket,wear & tear on my car and the environment than driving my own vehicle.

Having to change to coaches or another train is stressful and wasting more time on already long journey. The reliability of the metro train system is questionable at best, leading to issues when arranging events or to make plane flights, medical appointments, etc. If you have luggage, shopping or other bulky items (think bikes, prams, wheelchairs), metro trains or coaches do not offer the same storage, sense of security or staff assistance as the Vline train service does. You can’t reserve a seat or choose first class for some peace & quiet. There are no toilets or dining facilities, which when travelling for more than three hours is a considerable inconvenience.

Forcing users to change to other services is also more problematic for tourists as well, introducing another element of confusion and more opportunities for things to go wrong, potentially leaving people lost and stranded without frequent services to help them find their way back or to their destination.

If you want to change things, get all those non-Gippsland based people who proport to be representing us to spend one week doing an experimental daily commute of the suggested changed service and resurvey them after to see if they think its adequate.
Julie Bryer signed 2016-08-06 14:27:53 +1000

This would make it so much more sir richly for my partner who has ms in advanced stages. Please do not change the country rail system
fiona york signed 2016-08-06 14:19:07 +1000

As if the digital divide wasnt enough, now the transport divide too??
Tania Donaldson posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 14:17:29 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Rhonda Jacobs signed 2016-08-06 14:17:04 +1000

Living in Sale if you have not got access to a car you can’t go to TAFE or UNI from Sale as there is no transport to the TAFE and limited times to get from tralagon to sale in the afternoon between 1pm and 4pm your stuck waiting!
Tania Donaldson signed 2016-08-06 14:16:38 +1000
Darla Spunner signed 2016-08-06 14:07:59 +1000
Nicole Beckwith posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 13:58:16 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
@Gemstone_72 tweeted link to this page. 2016-08-06 13:58:13 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended? http://www.votv.org.au/gippsland_line?recruiter_id=1270
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Jenelle Schloemann signed 2016-08-06 13:51:33 +1000
Mairin Mains signed 2016-08-06 13:32:14 +1000

The service is atrocious already!! Trains are packed by the time they get to Drouin and we still have an hour and a half to travel. Can you imagine what it would be like if we all got off and then had to compete with Pakenham passengers for a place on a metro train? One word. Chaos!!
Rosco Beamsley posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 13:30:35 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Rosco Beamsley signed 2016-08-06 13:30:09 +1000

The decline of what was once a good service is criminal. Improve the service don’t destroy it.

I used Vline all the time, but since the debacle with boom gates and worn wheels, and the replacement of so many services with buses I have more or less given up on Vline.

I assumed that once the skyline was built services will return to normal, though I note they are not including a dedicated Vline rail in the design, which makes it out of date before it is even built!

The upgrade of Vline many years ago gave LV residents a good service. Progressively it has fallen into disrepair and mediocrity. Melbourne will continue to grow unsustainably if the close regional centres are not supported.

Once again poorly thought out short-term ‘fixes’ that exacerbate the problem.
Theresa Sharman posted about this on Facebook 2016-08-06 13:12:45 +1000
A Melbourne train should go to Melbourne, why does the Gippsland regional line get substandard service recommended?
Theresa Sharman signed 2016-08-06 13:12:19 +1000

Theresa Sharman
Angus Hales signed 2016-08-06 12:58:26 +1000
Debbie VanRhee signed 2016-08-06 12:54:58 +1000
Kevin Bechaz signed 2016-08-06 12:52:10 +1000
Morgan Stratford signed 2016-08-06 12:46:59 +1000
Russell Osborne signed 2016-08-06 12:28:27 +1000