Indi MP Cathy McGowan wants to give a senior Liberal a first-hand look at the North East’s second-rate train service.
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Infrastructure and Regional Development Assistant Minister Jamie Briggs has been invited to join her for a trip on the V/Line passenger train.
Ms McGowan said on Sunday that doing this would give Mr Briggs a clear idea of just how the train needed to be improved.
“The last time Mr Briggs visited Indi he committed much-needed funding for roads,” Ms McGowan said.
“I would welcome a similar commitment for a business case to fix the train service.”
Ms McGowan has also been vocal in her support of high-speed rail, arguing it was an essential part of an effective decentralisation process.
She said in a wide-ranging budget speech to the Parliament in June that the federal government needed to show the political will to reserve a rail corridor.
Albury-Wodonga is a stop on a Brisbane-Melbourne high-speed line, costed last year at $63 billion.
But Ms McGowan’s prime rail focus for the moment is existing services, given a community consultation program now being carried out by Public Transport Victoria.
That is happening as part of the process for formulating the Regional Network Development Plan.
Ms McGowan said the government should be providing input to this plan, as well as increasing its commitment to help lift the standard of North East passenger services .
“I will be calling on the government to put a submission to the Regional Network Development Plan,” she said.
“I welcomed the recent commitment from Premier for Victoria Daniel Andrews to give a greater consideration to improving the train service.
“Having met with the Premier about this issue, I am confident the state government is taking this matter seriously and is genuine in wanting to solve the problems.”
Ms McGowan and Member for Murray Dr Sharman Stone met Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss in June.
The MPs discussed with him the improvements they said were required on the northern line.
“We need all levels of government on board to solve these problems once and for all,” Ms McGowan said.
Regional Network Development Plan feedback can be provided to Public Transport Victoria until September 11, with a draft report expected to be released on October 30.
Among those to have already done so is the Border Rail Action Group.
It favours the introduction of two additional shuttle trains between Albury-Wodonga and Seymour, where passengers could then board the high speed VLocity trains through to Melbourne.
Feedback to the plan can be made by phoning 1800 800 007.
