Weekend rail services to keep rolling

“While it is pleasing to see that this government has taken notice of our community and made these weekend trips permanent, the simple fact is that we still need more frequent services,” Ms Cleeland said.

“While reserved-only services and the odd weekend trip have been introduced, my office continues to deal with complaints from passengers who are unable to reserve a seat and are being told to stand or sit on the floor for long journeys.”

Government figures showed that 40,000 trips on the North East line were taken in March, compared to 26,000 in the same month last year.

“Despite there being nearly twice as many passengers on our V/Line services in recent times, this government has failed to effectively ensure that locals can travel comfortably,” Ms Cleeland said.

“This simply cannot continue as it is.”