NEWS ARTICLES FROM THE ARCHIVES, LEONGATHA FIGHTS FOR THE SURVIVAL OF ITS RAIL SERVICE 1992/1993 Please follow the links provided below: Full Facebook Post About Articles: https://www.facebook.com/swgt.org.au/posts/1105350279539217 'Leongatha rail link may be at end of line', article from The Age Newspaper Melbourne, Wednesday the 25th of November 1992, written by William West: https://www.facebook.com/swgt.org.au/photos/pcb.1105350279539217/1105349879539257/?type=3&theater 'Services threatened by buses, say unions', articles from The Age Newspaper Melbourne, Monday the 4th of January 1993, written by Fiona Athersmith: https://www.facebook.com/swgt.org.au/photos/pcb.1105350279539217/1105349889539256/?type=3 These two articles published between November 1992 and January 1993 highlight the small changes and reforms that have occurred over the last 23 years for transport accessibility and connectivity in South Gippsland since July 1993. The level of service provided to residents in South Gippsland was not only downgraded and severely compromised by the loss of the passenger rail service on Saturday the 24th of July, 1993. The rationalisation of the Public Transport Cooperation and V/Line by the Jeff Kennett led Liberal Victorian Government had such a great impact that is completely disadvantaged and discouraged the people of South Gippsland from using public transport. This is an argument that the Public Transport Unions in Victoria highlighted in 1993 as they claimed the axing of the service would 'result in substantial losses to patronage and revenue'. The statistics that undeniably emphasises this observation is the huge difference between the amount of people who used the passenger rail service while in operation compared to the bus services and the huge drop off after the withdrawal of the train. The last 5 years of operation of the Leongatha passenger rail services regularly attracted passenger numbers between 100,000 plus and the highest figure of 128,000 recorded in 1992 per annum. These amounts were increasing each year since it was reinstated in December 1984, however, the increases were much greater between 1989 and 1993. In contrast to the buses, which were supposedly complimenting the service, however, were actually competing against the passenger rail service in the same period of time only attracted dismal figures of 20,000 per annum on average with the highest number recorded between 1992/1993 at 23,000 for the year. Once the passenger rail service to Leongatha was withdrawn on Saturday the 24th of July 1993, the numbers that the train recorded have never recovered and rarely reached above 60,000 per annum between 1993 and 2008. The figures were on a nose dive each day that passed since the withdrawal of the passenger rail service and eventually plateaued between 50,000-60,000 per annum over that 15 year period. Even the reforms made by the John Brumby led Labor Victorian Government in May 2008 where the party infamously broke their 9 year 1999 pre-state election promise to not return rail services to South Gippsland haven't really made much of a difference despite the fact that 16 services a day operate between Melbourne and Leongatha. Loss of patronage was therefore clearly predicted as one major consequence. The solution to most of problems that was plaguing South Gippsland's lack of transport alternatives, being the V/Line Sprinter railcars was right on platter of being introduced into service. Just like the Australian Railways Union clearly identifying in 1981 that retaining the rail services in South Gippsland would save the state government '$10,500' in subsidy costs a year and the public bill for upgrades and recurring capital costs would be greater if the bus only option went ahead, this was again the same story in 1993. It was identified in a union report submitted to the Victorian Government that if the diesel locomotive arrangement, usually a P Class with three H-type carriages and a luggage van was substituted for the typically unreliable DRC Tulloch railcars, 46% in cost recovery would have been achieved compared to 43% with the all-bus option. However, one statistic that truly stood out was that at the moment Sprinter railcars were introduced into service along the line, 50% cost recovery could have at least been achieved and could travel between Melbourne and Leongatha in a total travel time of under 2 hours minimum. Again, the 'bustitute solution' is proven fact as actually more costly than the trains despite the ongoing assumptions and claims that they are cheaper. Two prime examples of the disparity between road upgrades in South Gippsland against rail improvements over the last decade and a half also further strengthen the cases made in the two articles. In 2005/2008, the realignment or construction of a new road on the South Gippsland Highway between Loch and Bena cost approximately 35-40 million dollars to build a distance of only 2.5 kilometres and was actually built in anticipation that the railway line would reopen. The Koo Wee Rup Bypass, which opened in 2015 cost 70 million dollars and whether it has actually alleviated congestion into and out of the township and when heading towards Pakenham and Melbourne is highly debatable. The most recent study conducted in reopening the South Gippsland railway line to Leongatha, which was released in May 2008 identified that it would have cost a maximum estimate of 71.7 million dollars to rehabilitate the corridor, which is 82 kilometres to the nearest open section at Cranbourne. Now do people wander why advocates for the for the return of rail to South Gippsland actually make a valid point that it wouldn't be costly to reopen the line as it would not cost billions to rebuild and it would be cheaper by at least the medium term of reopening compared to road only transport? It must be too blatantly obvious not to realise... Woorayl Shire Councillors also actively undertook in the campaign to retain rail services to Leongatha from the moment that the South Gippsland railway line was placed under review by Transport Minister and West Gippsland Legislative Assembly Member Alan Brown. The blatant issues that placed the service under threat were one's that could have been resolved. Timetabling scheduling that was not attractive to commuting to residents their destination at ideal times such as work in Melbourne. A lack of realising the potential for transport services to encourage tourism to iconic and scenic travel destinations such as Wilson's Promontory. The competition between the trains and buses was also an ongoing dispute that was affecting patronage figures. These factors were all servery impeding on the efficiency and effectiveness of public transport in South Gippsland and particularly the passenger rail services. These were all arguments that advocacy groups such as the Public Transport User's Association especially president Paul Mees argued were very achievable given the line had enormous potential to be a major rail interurban commuting route. What can be learned from this article is that the replacement of passenger rail services for buses is never a genuine substitute as has been the case for regional communities along the Leongatha, Cobram and Mildura lines.