V/Line passengers using the Albury line are still continuing to struggle finding seating for the trips to and from Melbourne, with many locals forced to stand or sit on the floor for large periods of time.
Nationals Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy, said that whilst community pressure had forced the Victorian Government to add more services, there was still issues with booking and peak demand.
“We have seen sustained community pressure put on the Government, and as a result there are now two additional services on the weekends.
“The Government cannot say whether these will stay beyond winter, which is a shame, however it is a start.
“What we really need is for the issues of overcrowding to be addressed. It is not just on weekends that the trains are packed, but during the week too.
“There are only finite seats on the trains, and there has to be a point where V/Line stops overbooking the trains, resulting in unsafe conditions.”
Mr McCurdy suggested that additional carriages could be added to peak services to alleviate with overcrowding if V/Line continues to sell unreserved seating tickets.
“If only a third of the train is reserved seating, then clearly, we need to add more carriages to peak services.
“Running more services is good if they run at the right times, we need to ensure that everyone who uses the train has a seat and access to basic amenities such as toilets and the buffet car.”
