FEDERAL Transport Minister Michael McCormack has replied to a series of questions about the North East railway by saying passengers would not be allowed to travel on it if it was unsafe.
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Standing near the scene of the tragedy with the NSW and Victorian transport ministers, Mr McCormack was asked how the Albury line had been allowed to rundown over the past decade.
He responded by saying "no authority would ever let a train go on an unsafe track, I want to make that very, very clear and of course engineering scopes and safety inspections are conducted on tracks".
Mr McCormack, who has oversight of the track via the Australian Rail Track Corporation, then pointed to the $235 million of federal money provided for improvement works to begin soon.
Asked if the ARTC had been doing enough to keep the track in good condition, Mr McCormack repeated his comment about trains not being able to travel on lines deemed unsafe.
He then did not reply directly to a reporter's questions about how speed limits had been applied to various parts of the track.
Fellow Nationals MP, Steph Ryan, who represents the seat of Euroa in the Victorian parliament told The Border Mail she was concerned about the track at Wallan.
"I think a situation like this comes as a shock to everyone but we do know the line has had serious issues over the last decade since the ARTC did its initial upgrade program."
Ms Ryan defended the time it has taken for the latest federally-funded trackwork to be rolled out.
"They're mindful of how it's been stuffed up last time so they've been working hard around the due diligence to upgrade the line," Ms Ryan said.
The Independent federal MP for Indi Helen Haines said "the track has been plagued with troubles and I'm concerned by reports that V/Line drivers had refused for a week to drive the section where the derailment occurred".
She was referring to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union stating V/Line drivers had been avoiding the area subject to the tragedy.
Mr McCormack encouraged the union to provide evidence to investigators.
"I invite the unions to put all those matters to the proper authorities so that we can fully investigate what has taken place beforehand of course what took place last night," he said.
Historian Noel Jackling, known for his Albury Uiver landing research, took the same service to Melbourne on February 11.
"In the Wallan area there two or three occurrences when there were was a very serious jolt and what flashed through my mind was 'that can't be far from a derailment'," Mr Jackling said.
"It felt like it hit an obstruction."
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is expected to produce a preliminary report into its probe within 30 days.
It took control of the matter from the Victorian police on Friday.
The removal of the overturned locomotive and derailed carriages, which were transporting 153 passengers, is still to unfold.
All V/Line services have been replaced by buses for the foreseeable future, while XPT runs through to Sydney have also been substituted with coaches.
The driver, 54, who died, was John Kennedy from Canberra, while the pilot, 49, was from Castlemaine south of Bendigo.
Ms Ryan who spoke to The Border Mail from the scene of the disaster on Friday was appalled at what she saw.
"It's horrifying, it's just gut-wrenching for the families of the pilot and the driver and I would imagine a huge shock to anybody on board the train," she said.
"I think it's miraculous more people weren't injured looking at the locomotive and first carriage."
Mr McCormack, Dr Haines and the member for Benambra Bill Tilley also expressed their sorrow for the relatives and friends of those who died in the tragedy.