Better linking services would attract more people to country living
I choose to live in the country and work in the city. I'm one of a growing number of commuters attracted by affordable house prices and quality of life away from Melbourne. One of the blights on my otherwise peaceful rural existence is the difficulty country commuters face every day on their journeys to and from work.
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I now bring my nine-month-old daughter into the city to childcare and am uncertain every day on my return trip whether I'll be able to get a seat for myself and some space for the pram. I work at Melbourne University but V/line trains no longer stop at North Melbourne station, so we all brace ourselves, exit at Footscray station into the scrum of peak hour city commuters
In a further example of extremely poor planning that has delivered far too little, too late for Victorians living regionally and on the urban fringe, Caroline Springs station has recently been opened on the Ballarat line. All the peak-hour trains that pick up passengers in the morning are already full by the time we arrive. Although V/Line is adding one extra train carriage per month, the demand remains much higher than their ability to supply. This translates to hours of pain for the hapless commuters as we cram aboard carriages full to bursting, knowing that there are more pickup stops ahead.
I love my country town, and I would urge others to leave the city to find a much better quality of life. However, this quality is severely impacted by an untenable commute. It is sometimes difficult not to feel a nihilistic sense of hopelessness at the sheer inadequacy of the service we are offered, in the face of significantly increasing travel times, more late arrivals, overcrowding and irregular services.
Elizabeth Lakey
The Minister of Transport, Jacinta Allan and the CEO of V/line rely on worn out commuters who are too tired of the constancy of the situation of the regional rail network to voice their discontent with commuting by rail from regional Victoria. It certainly does not appear that commuting in 2017 has improved with Jacinta Allan in the driver's cab.
Scott Ramsay, Strathdale
OPPORTUNITY LOST
FOI requests forwarded by the "Save Our Station, (SOS)" committee to the state Government regarding the tender of the railway precinct deal have not been processed within the required time and in fact have not been presented to that committee by the relevant authorities. If the Queensland developers are so keen to spend their money in Ballarat, why not gift them a section of the civic hall site for their apartment type hotel and to remodel the civic hall as the convention centre.
We have just one opportunity to develop the best transport hub in Australia, on the site of the retired goods shed and railway yard at the Ballarat railway station. We all, including our local members of parliament and councillors, need to take a deep breath to consider just what is best for Ballarat and its commuting citizens. Do we want a convention centre and apartment type hotel built on the site? With good planning, trains, V/Line coaches, urban buses, airport shuttles, taxis, motorists, cyclists and most importantly, pedestrians and the Disabled should be able to traverse the transport terminal safely.
Planning of this site should create a great centre for commuters for the next 50 years and not just to buy a few votes at the next election. This unique and historic railway precinct stands out as one of, if not, the best in Australia, so why should we stuff it up to satisfy a few people who seem to have no contact with the reality of Ballarat.
It is not too late for a change of mind, and a proper transport hub on this unique site would win more votes and certainly will win much appreciation from our travelling public.
Paul Jenkins, Alfredton