By Jessica Micallef
A Riddells Creek mum claims the new V/Line timetable on the Bendigo train line is unfair for regional students travelling into Sunbury due to a lack of suitable times.
Leeanne Barrett’s year 11 son is a student at Salesian College Sunbury. She said her son used to take the 7.22am train from Riddells Creek to arrive in Sunbury at 8am.
V/Line has now introduced a new timetable across the network that came into effect on January 31.
However, Ms Barrett said the new timetable does not have a train departing Riddells Creek at an “appropriate” time for her son to arrive in Sunbury in time for school.
“There are now four trains that leave in the morning and only two of them stop at Sunbury but it gets in at 7.10am which is too early or 8.32am which is too late … so we are stuck on how to get to school,” Ms Barrett said.
“I am not going to have my son wait around Sunbury for an hour and a half so he’ll have to get in late which the school isn’t going to be happy with.”
Ms Barrett said the times have also changed for the afternoon trains.
She said her son used to catch the 3.51pm train but will now have to leave school 15 minutes early to take a 3.37pm train or “wait around town” until the 4.36pm train.
“If kids aren’t getting home for 45 minutes to an hour later, how is that going to work with part-time jobs?” she said.
“Put the train times back the way it was, or stop more trains at Sunbury.”
A Department of Transport spokesperson the department will work closely with passengers affected by the timetable change.
“This new timetable will deliver extra services for passengers right along the Bendigo line, with better access to trains through Malmsbury, Macedon, Riddells Creek and Clarkefield,” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Transport has encouraged regional students to take a V/Line service that stops at Watergardens station at 7.39am or 7.59am to connect with a Metro service back to Sunbury.
