Council
1 May, 2026
Liberals commit to train upgrades
COMMUTERS can expect to see an “immediate upgrade” of Warrnambool train passenger services if the Liberal National party is elected this November.
Speaking in front of a large and vocal group that gathered at the Warrnambool station on Tuesday afternoon, local MPs Roma Britnell and Richard Riordan joined with Shadow Public Transport Minister Matthew Guy to assure the crowd that an elected Liberal National government would “immediately begin upgrades of Warrnambool services.”
This would see the return of reserved seat bookings, along with much-needed six carriage trains on the line.
“We can assure you all that come November, if we are elected to govern, we do have a plan,” Ms Britnell said.
“This includes requisitioning VLocity rolling stock so that south west services are a six-carriage operation, and reinstating reserved seat bookings.
“If people book a seat, that’s the seat they get. Passengers, particularly the elderly and those who rely on aides, should not be forced to stand or sit on the floor for three hours just to get to Melbourne.”
The trio also said they were working on a longer term plan for lengthening platforms on the Warrnambool line.
Shadow Public Transport Minister Matthew Guy said he understood the frustrations felt by commuters and that his party was committed to restoring the south west to a first-class regional rail service.
“The Allen government has reduced seat numbers, service quality and treated Warrnambool line passengers as second class. A Liberal government would reverse this atrocious treatment,” he said.
“After a decade of lies and poor treatment for the south west, longer trains with better services will be the focus of a Liberal government.”
Mr Guy said that since the elimination of locomotive hauled five carriages trains, which had up to 400 seats along with a buffet car service, Labor’s replacement three carriage VLocity services seat just 220 and have no onboard food service.
“As a result, trains are at capacity, passengers have been left on platforms and the quality of service has collapsed,” he said.
“The people of Victoria’s south west have clearly been disrespected, ignored and treated as second class citizens by the Labor government.”
Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan said the message from the community was clear – fix the trains and fix them now.
“For too long, passengers in the south west have been treated as second-class citizens. People are standing for hours, dealing with dirty carriages and a system that simply doesn’t work. That’s not good enough in modern Victoria.”
Like many others, Warrnambool’s Elizabeth and Francis Denny rely on trains to take them to and from Melbourne for appointments – and serve as an important connection to interstate travel.
“We are carers for a cancer patient in Queensland and frequently visit our adult son there,” they said.
“I’m almost 80 and Frank is 83 but train travel has become a nightmare. I even carry newspapers and blue tac to put on the window to keep out the hot sun – having that streaming in for three hours on a packed carriage isn’t comfortable.
“Neither is sitting on the floor or having to stand for that length of time. It’s just not good enough.”
Geoffrey Murray was another of many at Tuesday’s meeting eager to express his frustrations and concerns.
As a passenger who relies on the use of a mobility scooter, he said there is no longer the room to manoeuvre away from the door – prohibiting his use.
“The old carriages always had plenty of room to manoeuvre my scooter, now there’s simply not enough space to get out of the way. I can get through the carriage door but there’s no room to get to where I need to be. I can’t be blocking the doorway.”
