East Gippsland V/Line passengers are demanding better after replacement buses offloaded travellers at East Pakenham Station, leaving them to make their way to the Metro line to complete their journey to Southern Cross.
Gippsland East MP Tim Bull said he had received numerous complaints from parents with children, senior citizens, people with large luggage travelling overseas and passengers with disabilities who were all forced to make the long and inconvenient walk.
“The disappointing element is I am reliably advised the buses did not run all the way to Southern Cross as it was a cost cutting measure, and for those forced on to the train service they had to endure another 28 stops,” he said.
“In the past, when V/Line trains couldn’t run, coaches delivered passengers from Bairnsdale all the way to Southern Cross, and there was no reason this could not have continued during the most recent rail outage.”
Mr Bull said Metro trains were never designed for long-haul passengers as there was not sufficient room for large luggage items.
“I have now asked Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams, to guarantee that coaches will continue to operate the full route during rail service disruptions.
“Labor had previously assured rail users that Gippsland services would continue through to Southern Cross and they
would not need to disembark at East Pakenham, and we expect them to stick to this,” he said.
