It's Official - the 4:32 service is back!

Here is an announcement from the V/Line website

From 18 June, an additional coach service will run on weekdays from Seymour to Shepparton. This coach service will connect with the 16:32 train service from Melbourne, which arrives at Seymour 18:05.

Coach departure times:
Seymour Station 18:10
Nagambie 18:35
Murchison 18:58
Shepparton Station 19:30

For more information please call us on 136 196.

We would like to send our thanks to everyone who actively campaigned for this great result, especially Mrs Powell and Dr Sykes.

Mary and Bev

Great News about the 4:32pm Service!

Member for Shepparton Jeanette Powell and Member for Benalla Bill Sykes have announced that they met with Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky and she has said a 4:32pm service could begin on June 18.

It would be a train to Seymour with a connecting road coach arriving at Nagambie at 6:35pm, Murchison at 7pm and Shepparton at 7:30pm.

We are very happy to hear the news and we encourage people to use the service. This will be of benefit to many as they will not have to wait for the 6:33pm train that often doesn't arrive into Shepparton until around half past nine at night.

It is definitely a step in the right direction but we will not rest until the 6:15pm train has been restored running express from Broadmeadows to Seymour, providing the overall quality of service that we used to have.

- Mary and Bev

Take up the Challenge for 2054 Signatures

Mr Rob Barnett, V/Line Chief Executive Officer, responded to our petition of 1054 signatures for the 6:15 express Shepparton train by saying

perhaps over time, depending upon customer demand... your request may be accommodated

It seems that 1054 requests do not constitute sufficient customer demand.

We would like to take up the challenge by gathering another 1000 signatures.

V/Line has quoted the average number of passengers on the current 6:33 as 292. 2054 people would make up 7 train loads. That's got to be people power!

Please help us tell V/Line and the Bracks Government that we will not accept a sub standard rail service by printing out The Petition from this site and obtaining signatures.

Please mail signed petition forms back to Mary by Monday June 11.

Mary and Bev

We Want Our Trains Back!

Background

V/Line introduced a new timetable on March 4 with two major setbacks for travellers on the Shepparton line:

• The 6:15pm weekday train was combined with the 6:33pm Seymour train departing at 6:33pm and stopping all stations to Seymour. This adds a minimum half an hour to our travel time.

• The 4:32pm service was removed from the timetable. If travellers can’t make the 2:30 service they have to wait for the 6:33 service.

Our Mission

We believe that V/Line are now delivering a sub standard service to regional Victorians. We are campaigning for:

• The Shepparton inter city service restored to a departure time of 6:15pm, running express from Broadmeadows to Seymour.

• The 6:33pm commuter service retained as it was, stopping all stations and terminating at Seymour.

• The re-introduction of a mid afternoon Shepparton service departing Southern Cross around 4 or 4:30pm.

What Have We Done So Far

We have:

• Sent lots of letters and emails to V/Line, the media and the politicians. Read our published letters and articles in media centre.

• Presented a Petition to Mr Terry Mulder, Shadow Public Transport Minister and Hon Wendy Lovell, with 1,054 signatures. Read about it in The Petition.

• We continue to monitor the running times of the 6:33 service as it is constantly late. We will be presenting these findings to V/Line.

What About Responses

We have had:

• Fabulous support from the Liberals and Nationals. See The Opposition Supports Us! and the good.

• Nothing but negative responses from the government and V/Line. See the bad.

• No response from Ms Lynne Kosky, Minister for Public Transport. See the ugly.

What Can You Do

• Send letters and emails – See Tell Vline, Tell the Politicians, Tell the Newspapers.

• Help to monitor the running times if you use the 6:33 train – See Punctuality Monitoring.

• Tell us what you think and how it affects you by using the comments link below. We will make every effort to ensure your concerns are heard as part of our ongoing campaign.

• Tell others about this blog.

PEOPLE POWER CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

- Mary Shaddix and Bev Yuille

You can contact us using the following information:

Mary Shaddix
18 Robinson Street
Murchison Vic 3610

mshaddix@bigpond.com

Phone: 5826 2785

Fax: 5826 2796

Bev Yuille

PO Box 168
Murchison Vic 3610

dbyuille@bigpond.com

Phone: 5826 2792

A History of Dealing with the Government.

February 22
I found out that our train, the 6:15pm inter city to Shepparton, was going to be combined with the Seymour 6:33pm commuter service, departing at 6:33pm and stopping all stations to Seymour starting on March 4.
I was devastated to think that an extra half hour would be added to an already exhausting trip and we would be lurching from station to station until Seymour. Everyone I spoke to on the train felt the same way. We just couldn’t believe it.

February 26
I kicked off with emails to Premier Bracks and Minister Kosky plus an online submission to V/Line.

March 19
A letter from V/Line Customer Relations saying the service would not be restored at this time.

March 27
Eight V/Line managers travelled on the train to talk to the passengers due to the number of complaints. One of them suggested that my efforts would be better spent sending a petition direct to V/Line rather than having it tabled in parliament, as was my plan.

March 28
Another letter from V/Line Customer Relations saying the service would not be restored at this time.

March 30
A letter from the Premier’s Department saying one of my emails had been forwarded to Minister Kosky by way of the Department of Infrastructure.

April 13
A letter from the Department of Infrastructure saying that V/Line had already responded to me and that if I felt dissatisfied with the results after all opportunity for direct resolution with V/Line had been exhausted I may wish to contact the Public Transport Ombudsman.

April 18
I sent a letter to the V/Line CEO requesting that our service be restored on behalf of 1054 of his customers.
[I had presented a petition with 1054 signatures the previous day to Mr Terry Mulder, Shadow Transport Minister and Hon Wendy Lovell, Member for Northern Victoria. Mr Mulder tabled the petition in the Legislative Assembly on April 19.]

April 24
A letter from the V/Line CEO saying the service would not be restored at this time.

April 27
A phone call from the office of the Public Transport Ombudsman advising me that V/Line had no power over timetables, only the government could change them and the PTO could therefore not take action. The officer suggested that I contact the Department of Infrastructure. Refer April 13.

I spent two months following this labyrinthine path only to end up where I started – with a Minister who doesn’t want to run a railway system and doesn’t want to hear our complaints.
A cynic might say this whole process is designed to make any sane person give up. I believe the government must be held accountable and must not be allowed to provide a sub standard rail service to regional Victorians.

Today
The campaign continues. I still believe that people power can make a difference.

Mary Shaddix