Media Release

In parliament today, Kilsyth MP David Hodgett slammed the Labor Governments management of the Victorian public transport system. After a week of disasters with the service in Melbourne, Mr Hodgett reminded the government that transport issues in Maroondah were still in disarray.

“While race-goers sit on the steps of Flemington, public transport users out in Croydon and Kilsyth are lucky if they see any buses and trains at all, and that is if they brave the stations amid safety concerns.

“I am bewildered how the Brumby Government, despite ripping the heart out of out suburban transport, still manages to get the inner city transport so totally wrong,” Mr Hodgett said. “The public transport system in my electorate is a clear afterthought. Commuters are forced to endure infrequent services and examples of distain as connecting bus services patronisingly leave just as trains arrive.”

Mr Hodgett told of a constituent who had approached him after twice being left at Croydon station when connecting buses left before passengers had a chance to board. “Twice in the span of four days (he) was forced to miss connecting services as the 2 and 4 minutes he was respectively allowed until the bus departed was not even enough time for the boom gate to re-open and let passengers across the tracks.”

“It is examples of poor planning like these that have become synonymous with Victoria’s public transport system. While the Brumby government is evidently spending all its efforts and resources making inner city public transport inherently worse, the outer suburbs are totally neglected.”

This comes less than a week after the government cut city loop services, as well as announcing it would remove 8000 seats from Victorian trains. Furthermore, a train fiasco at Oaks day trapped over 50,000 commuters at Flemington Racecourse for five hours.