LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
I WAS pleased to read about the RACV On Track Survey (Gippsland Times on 17/11) and immediately logged onto the site to fill in the survey form.
However, it was disappointing to find there was no provision for comments and suggestions as I have given the matter of train travel between Bairnsdale and Melbourne considerable thought.
The assumption is usually made that more frequent train services will allow passengers more flexibility to travel between their point of departure and Melbourne.
Although this is true, it fails to recognise that not all passengers want to go to Melbourne and some people need a service to go in the opposite direction.
The earliest you can expect to arrive in Sale from the Melbourne direction is 10.17am, and in Bairnsdale 11.13am.
Obviously for a Sale resident working in Bairnsdale, commuting by train is not an option unless flexible working hours allow you to work from 11.30am to 6pm, giving you 20 minutes to catch the last train from Bairnsdale.
Presently, Sale is served quite well for travel to and from Melbourne, with eight different departure and arrival times although these journeys may include coach travel for all or part of the way.
Maffra and Bairnsdale don’t fare quite so well, with four services to Melbourne and five from Melbourne.
Currently there are 19 V/Line services both ways between Traralgon and Melbourne, including the three trains to and from Bairnsdale.
The service between Traralgon and Bairnsdale could be improved by operating a single or double carriage rail motor to connect with some of the trains terminating in or departing from Traralgon.
Careful timetabling would allow four or more shuttle trips each way, in addition to the current train services between Bairnsdale and Melbourne.
There are several advantages in providing a shuttle service:
It could provide a service to Bairnsdale up to 3 hours earlier than is now available;
It will reduce crowding on the three existing services between Bairnsdale and Melbourne;
The lighter trains will be able to traverse the Stratford bridge at higher speeds;
A stop at Fulham could provide public transport for TAFE students living in Sale or Rosedale;
Stops in Fernbank and Lindenow South could provide transport for school students in Bairnsdale, Stratford or Sale;
The shuttle trips provide a better service for commuters without affecting the Melbourne metropolitan network; and
It will benefit tourism in the area.
When I wrote to a previous Transport Minister, he replied and was aghast at the idea of all the extra rolling stock that would be required.
However, travel time between Bairnsdale and Traralgon is less than 90 minutes and a reliable single or double rail motor should initially be sufficient to provide this service, although passing loops and appropriate signalling may need to be constructed to allow trains to pass on the mainly single track.
I believe that this idea at least warrants a feasibility study.
Note: Submissions for the RACV On Track survey closed on Monday, November 30.
