Border Rail Action Group says new V/Line order can't ply Albury line

On Friday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews sidetracked around a question as to whether an order for new VLocity carriages placed earlier this year might supply new rolling stock for the North East line.

"Let me come back to you on where those trains are going," Mr Andrews said.

Mr Andrews then said the government had made a "profound investment" with "a massive rolling stock agenda ... an additional 20 VLocity three-car sets".

BRAG representative John Dunstan said it was disingenuous to suggest that more VLocity carriages had been ordered to service the Albury line.

"Mr Andrews knows full well that all those VLocity carriages on order are broad gauge, and that there are no standard gauge VLocity carriages on order," Mr Dunstan said.

"There's no way they can be used on the North East line. We've been told that there are no orders with Bombardier for standard gauge so there are no trains on order for the North East line.

"The first people V/Line would have told would have been us. So they know themselves, they're in there thrashing around trying to do something about the current situation.

"The last thing I heard there was a big order for more VLocity. They've been around for so long a lot of them are considered replacements for VLocitys that came in about 12 years ago. There's about 25 on order was the last I heard."

Last week, the government's trial for all weekend train seats on the Albury line to be able to be reserved was met with scepticism by V/Line critics who insist the only solution to the region's rail woes is to build more carriages to meet demand or increase services.

Under the trial, if all seats are booked on a service, passengers can then choose to buy an unreserved ticket, which alerts them that they may have to stand for some or all of their journey.

Benambra MP Bill Tilley said the trial will demonstrate the problems Border travellers face every time they alight a train service to or from Melbourne.

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