Fiona Patten welcome the new metropolitan train timetable which will deliver more weekday services, including express services, on the South Morang Line. Ms Patten has been calling on the government for better connectivity on the South Morang train line and is delighted by the recent announcement.
Back in September 2017, Ms Patten moved a motion in Parliament calling for express services to be introduce and an increase in the number of services. In her speech Ms Patten said “The South Morang line is bursting at the seams and changes urgently need to be made … this motion calls on the Minister for Public Transport and the government to work with Public Transport Victoria to amend the South Morang line timetabling to include express services at peak times”.
More than 38,000 passenger use the South Morang line every day and the extreme overcrowding means people are often unable to board the service.
Ms Patten said “Currently the South Morang line is horrifically overcrowded. The timetables are based on old data and do not take into account the huge amount of development that has been occurring. The new timetables will go some way towards relieving the overcrowding on this service and I am pleased that the government have listened to my calls on this. However, we need to be approaching transport with a focus on the future.”
“These new services will help relieve the current congestion but we need to put plans in place to meet the demands of further development and the expansion of the line. I will continue to campaign for better connectivity for the Northern Metropolitan area.”
