16 Nov 2016 Wangaratta Chronicle, Wangaratta VIC (General News) by Steve Kelly Skellyr Ne Com Au BY STEVE KELLY skellyR POOR track conditions and faulty trains have produced some of the worst figures for V/Line in more than a year. Punctuality of train services in the North East has slumped to its worst performance in more than a year. Reliability was also an issue, with one in 10 services not arriving at all the fourth worst statistic for services delivered in the past 13 months. October figures released this week showed that just 67.3 per cent of services were on time. The figure is well below the 12 month average of 85 per cent and 11 per cent worse than the previous services on-time category data. Only 90.3 per cent of train services were delivered to commuters on the North East line, still begging the question about aged rolling stock. But the State Government has shifted the blame fair and square on the Federal Coalition Governments Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) over the track condition. It says this is due to the poor track condition causing the delays, rather than the sub-standard rolling stock. The State Government reports that of the 55 reported delays last month, 47 were the result of speed restrictions caused by the poor condition of the track, which is operated by the ARTC. The restrictions meant V/ Line was forced to run trains at slower speeds, to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and staff. The condition of the North East line is deteriorating under the Federal Liberal National Government, who are sitting on their hands and letting passengers suffer, Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said. Were investing $15 million to improve the condition of carriages, run more reliable services and plan for the next generation of trains on the North East line. But passengers wont see the full benefit of these investments if the track remains poorly maintained. Its time for the Turnbull Liberal National Government to pull its finger out and fix it. V/Line service hits a new performance low for the year Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence