MORE reliable wi-fi, extra toilets and better punctuality are improvements being pushed for the North East V/Line train service by Wodonga Council boss Patience Harrington.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The chief executive has been appointed the North East delegate on the Victorian Government’s Regional Transport Advisory Group.
That role will see Ms Harrington help shape plans for trains, buses and taxis in the region.
She said her experience travelling on the V/Line service had highlighted to her the need to improve in certain areas.
"There has got to be some immediate things that happen to make rail travel more convenient, more comfortable and more timely,” Ms Harrington said.
"That will be my lobbying platform, if you like, and that's one of the reasons I chose to go on it.
“It's just about making sure this is very clear to government that these are very real issues out in the community.”
Ms Harrington said patchy wi-fi was a bugbear.
"I also found the wi-fi to be really intermittent, so I'm working as I'm going down and all of a sudden it would drop out – so many people would know that's more frustrating than anything,” she said.
Ms Harrington said more toilets and access to coffee were “little things” that could be boosted.
She backed the Border Rail Action Group shuttle service plan running VLocity trains from Seymour to Albury.
Ms Harrington said a submission to the group from Wodonga Council would include analysis of how more timely trains could lift the economy and touch the environment through less use of cars.
However, she warned the Border was unlikely to be at the front of the queue for improvements despite the line’s troubles.
"There's no doubt that Ballarat, Bendigo, even Warrnambool to some degree, and Shepparton those closer cities to Melbourne, that State Government are looking to work things out there first then see what they can do in the region within the next layer of efficiencies,” Ms Harrington said.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t have an improvement maybe on the timing of the services, when they leave and arrive back.
“I’m very keen to explore that, certainly Albury and ourselves talk about that quite regularly, how we influence that timing.”
Ms Harrington also said she would push for better transport links to Wodonga railway station.
“That’s definitely something I will be lobbying for, there has got to be improved connections with the train,” she said.
“Again it’s a chicken and egg, if you don’t get that happening then people won’t use it.”
Ms Harrington said talks were continuing with bus company Dysons about having a transit link to the Wodonga CBD.
The regional transport plan is due to be presented to the Transport Minister by October 30.
