Country Victorians are being neglected under the Allan Labor Government, as the V/Line 2023-24 annual report spruiked train services that will have fewer seats and a reduced service quality.
Peppered throughout the report are multiple boasts of VLocity rail cars replacing diesel hauled trains to Warrnambool, as they have to Albury and Bairnsdale, despite offering passengers 175 fewer seats.
While the previous five-carriage diesel hauled service seated 397 persons, the new VLocity trains only seats 222 people.
Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Matthew Guy, said: "Fewer train seats and more people standing in carriages for up to four hours is not an improvement to a rail journey - it is a huge backward step.
"Not only do VLocity trains seat less people – they are also not fitted with reclining seats, sunshades, or a snack bar. The belief that this is an increase in service quality is delusional.
"No other state delivers modern trains trips of more than four hours but denies passengers a bottle of water and a sunshade.
"Labor cannot manage money, cannot manage public transport, and regional Victorians are paying the price."
