The Hon. Annabelle Cleeland, Nationals Member for Euroa (Vic), Media Release, 5 April 2024

Regional communities continue to pay the price of Labor’s mismanagement as key rail upgrades for lines across regional Victoria remain undelivered.

Train lines in Shepparton, Warrnambool, and Gippsland were promised upgrades by the end of 2023, but the Allan Labor Government’s mismanagement of Victoria’s infrastructure pipeline has seen all three projects suffer delays and result in cost blowouts.

Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said these failed promises were yet another disaster for regional commuters, adding to ongoing issues that have plagued much of the Euroa region.

“We’ve seen strikes, bus replacements, extended delays, and infrequent and overcrowded services as some of the many issues my community has faced while commuting on our regional train network,” Ms Cleeland said.

“Since fares were reduced, we have seen significantly increased traffic across our regional network – resulting in crowded and uncomfortable services on our trains and coaches.

“We have just three trains a day from Albury to Melbourne – this is completely unacceptable with our region’s population.

“The North East is one of the most under serviced railway lines in the state and the recent claims of regional travellers’ satisfaction have left a gap between perception and reality.”