THE woes of the North East railway line have been well-documented in these pages over many years.
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Border residents are familiar with its myriad problems and governments of all hues and independent MP Cathy McGowan have promised to fix infrastructure concerns.
The Victorian Government has now announced a Regional Network Development Plan, which involves a blueprint being set out for the future of public transport.
A Regional Transport Advisory Group has been formed to receive feedback for the plan and it will hear from North East residents at three sessions in August.
The region's voice on the group's committee is Wodonga council chief executive Patience Harrington.
Hopefully she is a strong advocate for the North East's needs because the region has clearly lacked investment in its rail services.
Rolling stock is dated and delays are far too frequent.
Not all these problems can be addressed by a Victorian body because a federal authority is responsible for the track condition.
Nevertheless, the North East deserves a campaigner willing to be a champion for the cause of better Border rail services.
Hopefully Ms Harrington fulfills that role, because swinging seats in other regions of Victoria can make it all too easy for governments to focus on those areas.
The North East has been ignored for too long and any progress has always seemed to be on the basis of two steps forward, three steps backward.
It is time there was progress and if the Regional Network Development Plan is to have any credibility in our part of Victoria it will have to advance practical and strong solutions.
