In response to questioning from The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton, Kim O’Keeffe, the Victorian Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams, has indicated there is no completion date in sight for Stage 3 of the Shepparton Line Upgrade.
While the Minister restated knowledge on the public record about the status of Stage 3, she refused to provide a timeline for an increase from five to nine return weekday services from Shepparton.
Despite the project originally being due for completion in 2023, all the Minister could add in response to questioning from Ms O’Keeffe was:
“This matter is being worked through and further information on project timeframes will be provided in the coming months.”
“We need to know where this project is at now. Being secretive about this project is just ridiculous and keeping the community in the dark is unacceptable and frustrating,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“To clearly have no idea when this upgrade will be completed is yet another display of incompetence from the Allan Labor Government.
“This is a project that was funded primarily by the previous Federal Coalition Government that should’ve been finished in 2023, and we still have got no idea when it will be completed.
“Perhaps most frustrating is that there has been no real explanation as to why these extreme delays have occurred.
“The least the government can do is be transparent and come clean with why there’s no completion date in sight.
“It’s an absolute farce and we deserve better.”
The failure to complete this project on time has also caused a significant delay in traffic lights at the Wyndham Street intersection being made operational.
“Having lights sitting not operational at this intersection on a main road causes confusion for drivers and is putting drivers’ safety at risk,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“The minister is out of touch with the transport needs of regional communities.
“This project was funded for a reason and that was to provide a much-needed increase in train services from 5 return daily services to 9.”
Ms O’Keeffe has also recently raised the issue of the shortage of car spaces at the Shepparton Station.
“I have called on the Minister to come and visit the station to see firsthand what locals are experiencing,” she said.
“It would also be a good chance for minister to inform the community of when stage 3 will be completed.
“Imagine getting on the train in Shepparton today. You start with a desperate drive to find a car park with only 45 spaces available in the entire precinct.
“Then you watch as the train becomes so crowded that people are standing throughout the train because there simply aren’t any seats available.
“We know this is the case and I’m regularly contacted by constituents who are incredibly fed up with the state of train services on the line.
“This is nowhere near good enough for our growing region and is impacting our community.
“People should be able to get where they need to go on public transport and they need to be able to get a seat and travel safely.
“The government needs to tell us when this upgrade will be finalised, stop the delays and get on with the job.
“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage infrastructure projects and our community is paying the price.”
