Corporate affairs general manager Bas Bolyn was in Wodonga on Friday to talk to people about plans for $235 million worth of upgrades to the track and the inland rail project.

“(The complaints) won’t change and people won’t start using the train more until they know it’s going to run reliably and on time,” he said. “We’ve been working really, really closely with a lot of those transport agencies and V/Line because we want to make sure that where we do the work, how we do the work, is completely in line with what should be done.”

Mr Bolyn said he understands people hate using replacement buses, so the ARTC will complete as much of the 60 to 70 hours of work for bridge upgrades and other major tasks during the annual North East track shutdown over a few days in March.

“There will be some disruptions, but we will try to minimise them as much as we can,” he said.

“Crossovers” will also be installed on the dual tracks between Seymour and Benalla so trains can still run on one side of the tracks while work is completed on the other.

The ARTC plans to lower the track at Barnawartha so bigger, double-stacked trains can fit as part of the inland rail project, but was still consulting with Wangaratta Council over how to deal with two pedestrian bridges at the train station which will be too low.

An early suggestion of replacing old pedestrian bridges with a new, taller bridge was challenged by the council and public, but Mr Bolyn said it was still in the early design phase.

“We’re collaborating on that, we’re still working with council, and we’ll take all that feedback,” he said.

The bridge is an important pedestrian link between the hospital and CBD.

Border Rail Action Group chair Bill Traill was also at Junction Square for discussions and said the Wangaratta Railway Station was too isolated.

“The situation at Wangaratta at present is one of disconnection, rather than connectivity in terms of all types of transport,” he said.