Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has been urged to clarify her plans for access to V/Line services in Sunbury.
Speaking in state Parliament last Tuesday, Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Bernie Finn said it was time for Ms Allan to confirm or deny that Sunbury commuters caught using country services would be fined $435 from January 1.
Mr Finn said comments made by Ms Allan at a public meeting in Sunbury last month had given some people hope that the mooted train service changes might not occur in their entirety.
‘‘I would hate to think that the minister had instilled them with false hope,’’ he said. ‘‘It is absolutely incumbent on the minister to come clean and tell the people of Sunbury what she has in mind.’’
As reported by Star Weekly, restrictions barring Sunbury commuters from V/Line trains will not be enforced until next January but passengers are being actively discouraged from getting on board in the meantime.
The changes, prompted by the completion of the Regional Rail Link, aim to reduce overcrowding on Bendigo-bound trains.
The government recently added 10 extra peak-time Metro services a week with the promise of more to come.
But critics say the changes, with access to more than 200 services to be removed, are unfair to Sunbury passengers.
A government spokesman did not respond by deadline.
