On Monday afternoon at 1.35pm, the 12:05 Melbourne to Albury train pulled in to Seymour station, 16 minutes after its scheduled arrival time.
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20 minutes passed before passengers were alerted to a “minor problem” with the engine. The tone was reassuring. The train would soon be underway.
At 2.10pm, another crackly announcement. Passengers were advised they could leave the train but were cautioned not to wander too far. The voice still hopeful.
For Peter Vaughan, a Wangaratta man in his mid-80s, it was a chance to stretch his legs. Suffering from arthritis in the back, he was cramped in the fully-booked four carriage train.
“I can’t walk too far – I can’t straighten up. I played a lot of football and it’s causing a few problems now. I try walking straight but I can’t.”
In Melbourne, V/Line staff spotted Peter and his walker swinging from side to side down the Southern Cross platform, and helped him board the train and find his seat.
“A lady came up and said go into the centre. I usually go to the end carriage. The only problem with the end seat is the trolley, you have to try and slide it into the side. This bloke came along and he was very helpful, I think he was the conductor in Melbourne and he got me a decent seat.”
In Seymour, a V/Line customer representative scurries past Peter and the other passengers seated on a bench. When asked how long, he replies “We’re not sure at the moment – it’s a safety issue. We can’t go yet. I don’t know how long it’s going to be … we can’t leave without a safe train. I’m sorry we can’t tell you more.”
There’s a sense of dread among the passengers on the bench. The train has stopped too long.
Peter Vaughan shakes his head. “It’s half an hour – we’ll have to catch the bus soon.”
At 2:34pm, almost to the hour that the train came to a halt, the dreaded announcement comes over the Seymour Station airwaves.
If it was the 7:05 or the 18:02 train, maybe this wouldn’t matter. But the 12:05 train is packed to the brim with elderly passengers who prefer to travel during the day. Many who struggle to rise out of their seats, climb down stairs, relay up ramps and haul themselves onto a bus.
There’s a certain pride in this generation and Peter Vaughan carries the baton. “I’m an independent bloke. I like to work on my own, I don’t like to mollycoddle.”
Even so, he could have done with a hand.
Later up the ramp, Amanda from V/Line is assisting another elderly gentleman with limited mobility. She stops to ask if Peter is okay.
The fact is, there are not enough V/Line staff to chaperone and assist elderly passengers off trains and onto buses as well organise all passengers to their end destinations. And why should there be? The train is meant to run and arrive on time.
“I couldn’t be bothered waiting,” says Peter as he pushes his trolley along the tunnel.
“I got the last seat on the Wangaratta bus. A young bloke got on the wrong bus and I got his seat. I was lucky.”
Lucky? A train that was scheduled to arrive at 14:48, Peter’s bus pulled into Wangaratta after 4.30pm. He eventually turned the key to his door at 5pm.
“Last night on TV, I saw the announcement about the Geelong line. What about us Daniel Andrews? The train to Albury.”
“It’s very inconsistent. The amount of times I’ve had to get the bus here from Wangaratta. Sometimes I drive to Seymour because there are more trains. At the rate I drive … (I’m pretty slow!) – it takes two hours!”
NORTH EAST LINE CAUSES DISLOCATION FOR ELDERLY
So what exactly was the “minor problem” with the engine? According to V/Line it was a “defective data logger”. A data logger is similar to a black box recorder on an aeroplane. It is an essential safety item that records speed and other aspects of the train’s operating condition. For the safety of passengers and crew, V/Line will not allow a train to depart if the data logger is not functioning as it should.
According to a V/Line spokesperson: “V/Line is about to start a replacement of data loggers across its N Class locomotive fleet, as part of a broader government investment in improving classic fleet train reliability. In addition, $235 million has been secured to upgrade the condition of the North East line to Albury, which will enable new VLocity-type trains to be deployed once the track work is completed.”
However V/Line seem more concerned about the scale of the impact caused by the vandalism to the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s network. On Monday, the theft of copper wire between Wallan and Kilmore East caused significant delays to the 7:05 service and a 16 minute delay to the 12:05 service. The 17:20 Albury-Southern Cross train didn’t run at all and was replaced by buses.
Diverting attention to another corporation doesn’t solve the problem of the elderly having to navigate stoppages, buses and cancelled services on the North East Line.
With the Victorian election looming, stranded passengers have these suggestions for V/Line and the North East Line and hope that ministers are listening.
“On the weekend, there’s no buses that connect from Wangaratta to Beechworth, so if you need to catch the train on the weekend, you have to get a lift to Wangaratta which is really inconvenient. I think that issue has been raised with the local member.”
“More carriages. When I came down last Thursday, there were hardly any seats left. I booked my ticket from Beechworth and there was only two seats left on the train and a lot of times it’s booked out. So, I think they need to add an extra carriage to the train.”
Chris Calthorpe, Beechworth
“Having travelled on European train networks overseas, there’s a lot to be desired in terms of where we’re at with our regional train services. They’re talking about putting in a new line with 160km/hour – that would certainly help. It’s far too slow, the train just crawls along. There’s no explanation, it just arrives when it does. It’s a long time to get to Wodonga – three and a half hours – it could be done quicker.”
“Today is an example where we’re just left sitting on the train for 20 minutes with no knowledge of what was happening and you’re just left in the dark … a sort of public relations effort they could improve. We got the water – that was nice. But now we’re on buses … I don’t enjoy buses as much as the train.”
Michael Carter, Albury-Wodonga
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