The long haul carriages in service on the Bairnsdale line that form part of V Line’s classic N set locomotives have received their long awaited air-conditioning upgrade.

“Having pushed for this for some time and raised it in Parliament on several occasions, I am pleased Public Transport Victoria has confirmed the works have finally been completed,” Mr Bull said.

 “The upgrades have increased the cooling capacity of the air-conditioning units by 30 per cent which will help the system achieve a set temperature of 23 degrees, even in temperatures above 35 degrees.

“I have been asking about progress with the air-conditioning upgrade since its trial was first announced back in 2016 and I would like to thank the many passionate and dedicated train travellers who have assisted me in lobbying the State Government to obtain this outcome.

“What we really need though is the new long haul trains as the Liberal Nationals committed to providing in the lead up to the state election. 

“These are trains that are capable of speeds up to 200km/h with the extra leg room, accessible toilets, food service, on-board Wi-Fi and mobile phone charging suited to the requirements of long distance travel on the Bairnsdale line.

““The current V/Locity trains are an improvement, but they are not a permanent solution and I have had several complaints about the lack of a buffet car on most services.

 “We can be thankful that next summer we won’t suffer from unbearable carriages on hot days, but the Andrews Government must not think it has overcome fundamental problems with the old, unreliable and slow trains with an air-con fix and stop gap older generation V/Locity trains,” Mr Bull said.

Caption: Gippsland East Nationals MP Tim Bull, says the Bairnsdale line’s carriages have finally received an air-conditioning upgrade, but it doesn’t fix the fundamentals.