News

Changes needed to Bright coach timetable

Thursday 9 February 2017

Nationals Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy today called on the Minister for Public Transport to improve the Wangaratta to Bright V/Line weekend timetable.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr McCurdy said residents from Bright, Myrtleford and Eurobin had raised their concerns with him regarding the timetable.

“The current coach timetable departs Wangaratta at 10.05am and returns from Bright at 2.15pm on Saturdays and Sundays,” Mr McCurdy said.

“The major issues continually raised by travelers with this timetable include that the earliest a passenger from Beechworth, Myrtleford, Porepunkah or Bright can travel on public transport and reach Melbourne is 6.30pm.

“To be able to arrive at this time customers are still faced with the option of having to catch the less popular NSW XPT train.”

To maintain an integrated V/Line coach-train connection passengers are faced with a 2.5 hour wait in Wangaratta and an arrival time in Melbourne closer to 10pm.

“There is no way to make a return day trip to Melbourne via public transport or to Wangaratta for that matter, from these locations. Even to make a return weekend trip is practically unachievable,” he said.

“For such a large tourist region the transport options are very limited especially when compared to the service between Benalla and Yarrawonga/Mulwala.

“As the Minister well knows, public transport is an unreliable disaster in North East Victoria. The Federal Minister for Transport has agreed to join us for a trip on the North East line and I can only hope that the Minister may consider the same.

“Clearly Bright, Porepunkah and Harrietville residents need a better weekend timetable and I ask you to give these residents a more regular fixed timetable.”

Mr McCurdy is awaiting a response from the Minister.