THE federal government is under increasing pressure to bump up the $100 million to fully fix problems on the North-East railway line with the Victorian opposition agreeing the initial investment could be insufficient.
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Shadow transport minister David Davis said the allocation was a “good first start” and should be spent immediately to remedy long-standing issues including ballast and mud holes.
“Victoria and Canberra should also agree to do a full audit of the $100 million works to see if more money is required in the future,” he said.
Mr Davis was speaking after the Coalition commitment of $633 million to replace V/Line’s ageing diesel-hauled fleet across the state with a VLocity variant suited to long distance lines.
“All Mr Andrews wants to do is squabble over money, and meanwhile he’s doing nothing about the unreliable trains that he promised to fix and treating North East commuters like second-class citizens,” Mr Davis said.
“Mr Andrews has already promised to fix the North-East line and he should get on and keep his promise for once.”
Federal transport and infrastructure minister Michael McCormack has been briefed on North-East line issues since recently replacing Barnaby Joyce in the role.
“Minister McCormack is aware of issues relating to the North-East rail line and that services operated by V/Line don’t meet the standards Victorians expect,” a spokesperson said.
“Planning for the Australian Government $100 million investment in the North-East rail line enhancements is close to completion, with further community consultation happening this month.
“Minister McCormack hopes to meet with minister Allan in coming weeks to finalise arrangements for the North-East rail line, including their association to inland rail.”
An enhanced Melbourne to Albury track would allow VLocity trains to travel at speeds of 130km/h.
The North-East rail corridor would also be brought into line with other parts of the Victorian regional passenger network.
The NSW XPT trains, which also use the North-East line, could also increase speed from 130km/h to 160km/h leading to a 20 per cent reduction in the travel time between Sydney and Melbourne.
But the ARTC maintains VLocity trains could already travel on the North-East track at speeds of 130km/h without being upgraded to class two standard.
“ARTC has no objections to the introduction of VLocitys on the North-East rail line today,” an ARTC spokesman said.
“The NSW XPT is an equivalent-type train that already operates between Melbourne and Albury at a speed of up to 130km/h.”
