Opposition promises fast train Cars set alight
Warragul to the city in 43 to 45 minutes! That’s what the State Opposition claims would be the case with its $19 billion plan for a regional high speed rail network it would build if elected to government next month.
The project was announced last Wednesday by Opposition leader Matthew Guy as part of a broader policy to curb Melbourne’s “unsustainable” population growth through decentralisation that attracted people to live in regional areas.
Opposition public transport spokesman David Davis joined Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood at the Warragul railway station on Wednesday to elaborate on what the high speed network would mean for Gippslanders.
Mr Davis said it was a 10-year plan and if elected the Coalition would move quickly to contract construction of new trains and carriages.
He said the Coalition had already committed to a study to find the best way to provide uninterrupted travel for Gippsland trains between Pakenham and Caulfield.
It would also undertake a review of timetables State-wide that Mr Davis said he believed would leave to some modest improvements in travel times for country users in the short term.
Under the high speed rail project the Gippsland line would be upgraded where necessary to enable trains to travel at 200 kilometres per hour between Traralgon and Southern Cross station In Melbourne and 150 kph between Traralgon and Bairnsdale.
Mr Blackwood said the fastest services would be at peak times with Melbournebound trains leaving Traralgon with stops at Morwell, Moe and Warragul and then express to Southern Cross station.
Additional much faster services would also operate taking in other stations.
Current scheduled Warragul to Southern Cross services vary from just under 1 hour 40 minutes to almost two hours if they don’t run into delays once they enter the metropolitan section of the network.
Mr Blackwood said what the Coalition parties were proposing would be more than half that for the express services from Warragul.
Mr Davis said travel times between Traralgon and the city were estimated to drop to 62 minutes on the fastest services, also well below half that of the quickest services today.
He described the planned regional rail network as like the “European-style high speed rail” and essential to manage decentralised jobs and population growth.
The Opposition has also recently announced it would form a Population Commission in government to ensure regions have the right numbers of doctors, hospital beds, teachers, healthcare workers and police to match growth.
Mr Blackwood was critical of a lack of action by ALP State governments even though then Premier Steve Bracks promised fast trains as long ago as 2006.
The Labor Party has been in government in Victoria for 16 of the past 20 years but the Coalition’s already announced plans for a dedicated line for Gippsland trains through the metropolitan network was the first to address the issue, he said.
A spate of car fires has police urging locals to rethink leaving broken down vehicles on roadsides over lengthy periods.
Giving two examples of car fires in the past week, acting senior sergeant Jason Dastey said it was a big issue in both Baw Baw and Latrobe regions.
He encouraged people to pickup any broken down vehicles quickly to avoid cars being damaged or set alight.
Incidents are not limited to highways and remote roads.
A vehicle was destroyed by fire at Robin Hood Reserve, Drouin on Monday morning.
The fire was reported at 2.30am with the CFA attending.
Police said the vehicle had been burning for some time and crime scene had attended. It was unknown whether the vehicle was broken down or abandoned.
In a separate incident, a fire caused extensive damage to a Toyota Camry in Binbeal Rd, Drouin last Tuesday morning.
The fire was reported at 1.15am in a grassed area along the road, with the CFA attending.
The Toyota Camry was likely stolen, having been seen being driven erratically in Warragul and Drouin prior to the fire.
In a brazen theft, number plates were physically ripped off a vehicle in Queen St, Warragul on Sunday afternoon.
Police said the Mazda Bravo dual cab ute was locked and parked near Woolworths.
Upon returning to the vehicle at about 3.45pm, the victim found the two number plates physically ripped off the vehicle. The screws were still in place.
To reduce the risk of number plate theft, Drouin and Warragul Neighbourhood Watch will hold “Operation Safe Plate” in Warragul on Saturday.
For a $5 donation, number plate screws will be replaced with “special one-way screws” between 9am and 12noon in the Mason St carpark.