The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien has repeated calls in State Parliament for a solution to underperforming Gippsland trains amid ongoing fears the Andrews Labor Government intends to terminate Gippsland trains at Pakenham. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr O’Brien called on the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to investigate the options and…
North-east Victorians will never have access to Melbourne’s Airport Rail link if crucial upgrades are ignored in the Sunshine Station Masterplan. Despite the Masterplan still being at the consultation phase, the Andrews Labor Government has unilaterally decided it doesn’t plan to reinstate a standard gauge platform at Sunshine. The upgrade is a crucial missing link…
New official data on the performance of Victoria’s major projects has slammed poorly managed upgrades to north-west Victoria’s freight rail network that are now five years overdue. According to the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO), the Murray Basin Rail Project, which originally planned to deliver transformational upgrades to freight lines including Mildura, Sea Lake and Manangatang,…
Gippsland Nationals MPs Danny O’Brien, Tim Bull and Melina Bath say Gippsland infrastructure projects will suffer if the State Government’s Suburban Rail Loop project goes ahead. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien recently outlined in State Parliament his concerns that the $100 billion project would suck up capital for decades to come…
Today’s announcement dismantling the border bubble by the Andrews Labor Government’s new permit scheme is an unnecessary, bureaucratic impost that will crush Victorian-New South Wales border communities. From 1pm Thursday 12 August, a permit system will replace existing licence checks for border community residents to allow border residents to travel between NSW and…
The final three stages of the duplication of the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Sale are finally underway. Road builders’ compounds are under construction and there will be ground breaking on new sections of the highway at Kilmany and Flynn in the next few days and weeks. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South,…
Dear Editor Everyone but Daniel Andrews and his Labor Government has always known the Belt and Road (BRI) deal with the Chinese Communist Government was bad for Victorian jobs and businesses. After looking at the detail, the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government has done what Daniel Andrews should have done long ago – given this…
VLine is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on replacement taxis as a result of constant train breakdowns and delays, including on the north east and Shepparton lines. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information (FOI) by Shadow Minister for Public Transport (Regional) Steph Ryan show VLine has spent $343,589 in an 18-month period on replacement…
Checkpoints on Victoria’s border with New South Wales must be removed following today’s announcement that reclassifies all of NSW as either ‘green’ or ‘orange’ zones. Border communities are at their wits end. Despite no COVID cases in NSW border communities, Labor’s unwieldy permit system is leaving local people still facing debilitating delays to get across…
A new V/Line timetable unveiled by the Andrews Labor Government again fails to provide any additional services for Gippsland train passengers. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien said he was extremely disappointed that there were no new services for Sale and East Gippsland and not even additional trains between Melbourne and Traralgon.…
A more than $200 million Commonwealth rescue package will revive the Murray Basin Rail Project after it was derailed by the Andrews Labor Government. The Federal Liberal and Nationals investment, announced today, includes $195.2 million to fix the mess left by Labor’s Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, with a further $5 million for planning for…
The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien is reminding Gippslanders that road safety starts before you get on the road. Mr O’Brien said with the “ring of steel” no longer in place and restrictions on accommodation booking easing it was evident that many road users would be planning long drives over the coming months.…