Tania Maxwell MP says the state government’s refusal to restore passenger rail to Mildura abandons Mallee and Sunraysia communities to third rate public transport or expensive air travel options.
The Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party Member for Northern Victoria said Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll MP yesterday confirmed the Andrews Labor government has “no plans to restore the passenger rail service to Mildura”.
“Almost 10 weeks ago I asked the Minister to heed Mallee and Sunraysia communities’ calls for a feasibility study to return passenger trains between Mildura and Melbourne,” Ms Maxwell said.
“Yesterday he answered, telling me the line would require ‘significant upgrades to accommodate passenger rail and ensure no impact on rail freight traffic’.
“It’s one thing for the minister to say ‘We know how important access to public transport is in regional Victoria and regularly review public transport services to ensure our services meet community needs’, as he did.
“But it’s a slap in the face for would-be passengers.
“My constituents are smart people.
“They see last week’s news reports of independent analysis that prices the government’s Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop at $200 billion, while the minister tells me the state’s spending $247 million – just 0.12 per cent of the Loop’s forecast cost – on the regional rail network ‘to keep people and goods moving’.
“That paltry sum just doesn’t extend to a line to Mildura that’s capable of carrying freight but not people.
“The government’s listening to the people of Melbourne and using billions of taxpayer dollars to answer them.
“But it’s not answering the people of Mallee and Sunraysia with the courtesy they deserve.
“Mildura Rural City last month endorsed the North West Regional Passenger Study which consulted extensively in Mildura, Buloke, Yarriambiack, Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields’ communities during the research phase.
“The study identified five key factors contributing to transport isolation in North West Victoria.”
These included:
- no passenger rail services
- limited inter and intra-regional bus services
- expensive air services
- high demand for community transport
- long wait times for taxi services.
The study found these factors were contributing to the following challenges for the five local government areas:
- limited access to services, including health
- increased transport costs
- limited education choices and employment
- a poor demographic profile
- reduced regional competitiveness.
—
From Hansard:
Question
Asked: 8 June 2022
Mildura passenger rail services
Tania MAXWELL — To ask the Minister for Employment (for the Minister for Public Transport): (1973)
My adjournment is to the Minister for Public Transport, and the action I seek is for the minister to heed the call of communities in the north-west of our state and undertake a feasibility study on the return of passenger rail services to this region.
I first raised the absence of passenger rail services in June 2020, noting that Mildura is the only major centre in Victoria that remains condemned to very limited public transport options. Ironically the response from the minister at the time was to decline this call because the government was focused on completing the Murray Basin rail project. Well, here we are two years later, and this region has neither.
Mildura council’s scoping brief, commissioned in 2019, was the basis for developing a study. I met with the CEO of Mildura rural city very recently, and I congratulate them for being one of five councils that formed the North West Victoria Regional Passenger Transport Study. The report notes the population of the region is forecast to grow to 94 000 residents by 2031 and identifies 19 initiatives to improve the region’s passenger transport system. Reinstating the Mildura passenger train service is number one on the list of their priorities. This study notes the heavy financial burden that north-west Victoria shoulders compared to other geographical areas, including not having the economies of scale to encourage private investment and the relatively small revenue base of local government to manage the expensive maintenance of roads, transport networks and infrastructure. Yarriambiack and Buloke shires, which also formed part of this study, know these issues only too well.
Specific to public transport, people in the north-west have lower access and service levels but pay proportionately more, and the subsidy schemes and accessibility provisions available in metropolitan areas may not be available for people with a disability. Typically public transport, either via coach or a combination of coach and train, can take around 9 hours to go from Mildura to Melbourne. A plane is markedly quicker, taking around 80 minutes, but five times the cost. Since passenger rail services were removed from Mildura in 1993, residents have been further challenged by the lack of affordability and access to health services. We are not a Third World country. This delays people in seeking treatment, including preventative treatment for minor ailments before they become more serious, and ultimately contributes to poorer health outcomes. We have seen this on the north-east line as well, with more than a decade of delays and track work. Residents finally welcomed the rollout of one new VLocity train this year, only to see it pulled from service a month before the whole fleet was due to be replaced.
At the very least stakeholders are calling for the government to revisit feasibility studies and ensure this process includes consideration of the social equity benefits, remembering that Mildura is one of the five most socially disadvantaged local government areas in our state and geographically remote.
Answer
Answered: 24 August 2022
I thank the Member for Northern Victoria Region for her question.
We know how important access to public transport is in regional Victoria and regularly review public transport services to ensure our services meet community needs.
The Victorian Government has no plans to restore the passenger rail service to Mildura, which ended in September 1993 under the Kennett Government. The Mildura line would require significant upgrades to accommodate passenger rail transport and to ensure there was no impact to rail freight traffic.
Passengers currently have a range of service options to choose from when travelling between Mildura and Melbourne, including an overnight coach service via Ballarat and daylight coach services connecting with trains at Swan Hill and Bendigo. Select connections via Swan Hill offer the fastest transit time to Melbourne, with the journey taking around seven and a half hours. This is a faster journey time than could be achieved by a train operating from Mildura direct to Melbourne, which would need to travel via Ararat and Geelong, or involve a transfer between trains at Maryborough.
The 2022-23 State Budget is investing $247.6 million in the regional rail network to keep people and goods moving. This includes $181 million to maintain rail freight lines and funding to accelerate V/Line’s modernisation, delivering better services for regional Victoria.
Together with the Federal Government, the Victorian Government is investing more than $4 billion in the Regional Rail Revival program, which is upgrading every regional passenger rail line in Victoria and creating 3,000 jobs.
The Andrews Government is also focused on delivering the Murray Basin Rail Project. Works will enable 49 weekly return train paths on the Murray Basin network, up from the current 28 paths – an increase that will remove around 20,0000 sic truck trips off regional roads each year.
The Hon Ben Carroll MP
Minister for Industry Support and Recovery
Minister for Business Precincts
Minister for Public Transport
Minister for Roads and Road Safety
