INDI MP Cathy McGowan has been forced to defend an election promise in 2013 to fast-track a solution to the troubled North-East railway line.
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Ms McGowan made a commitment to lobby the federal and state governments to have the long-standing problems resolved by Christmas 2013 if she was elected.
Her predecessor, Liberal Sophie Mirabella, said on Tuesday during the visit by acting Prime Minister Warren Truss the promise made by Ms McGowan had been broken.
In response, Ms McGowan conceded the comment was "ambitious", but fixing the railway line remained her number one priority as MP.
"I am really pleased we've got the commitment from the Australian Rail Track Corporation that all the mud holes will be filled and fixed by the middle of this year," she said.
"It has taken a couple of years longer, but I wished it could have been true."
Mrs Mirabella said the Coalition wouldn't fall for the same trap of making ambitious promises during the campaign.
"The Coalition is concerned not with empty promises, but with actual delivery on the ground and saying what we mean and doing what we say," she said.
"I have locals constantly telling me they are disappointed that the independent made a commitment to fix the train by December 2013 and that hasn't happened.
"We have to be very honest and very upfront."
Mr Truss acknowledged the problems North-East line between Melbourne and Albury had gone on too long.
"The reality is there have been some issues with the line and they are mainly legacy issues," he said.
"Some of them go back to the previous century."