Cleeland launches petition to address community V/Line concerns

TO address the ongoing concerns of local train passengers on the V/Line services between Albury and Melbourne, state member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has launched a petition calling for more services. V/Line passengers using the Albury line, which stops at local towns Benalla, Euroa, Violet Town, Avenel, and Seymour, are still struggling to find seats for the trips to and from Melbourne, with locals at times forced to stand or sit on the floor. Ms Cleeland said a petition would allow the community to have their say about the issues and continue to put pressure on the State Government to increase the number of services. “Every day my office is dealing with more and more concerns from frustrated passengers about this particular train line,” Ms Cleeland said. “By establishing this petition, members of our community can show just how many people have been impacted by this issue. "Together we can show the Minister for Public Transport and the Labor Government just how serious this issue is. “They cannot ignore the concerns of regional passengers any longer.” She said the issues range from overcrowded trains, passengers sitting on the floor or standing for entire trips, and an inability to guarantee a seat despite booking reserved seats well in advance of the trip. More trips each day would help alleviate many of these issues, Ms Cleeland believes. “Overcrowding is a serious issue on our trains and I am hearing genuine horror stories from constituents. "We should not have any passengers on floors, let alone those that are elderly or have medical conditions. “Just last week, I had a resident say they were unable to get seats for them and their terminally ill partner who were travelling for a medical appointment, despite looking to book them two weeks in advance.” The petition is available to sign online at http://www.annabellecleeland.com.au/petitions/ .