![More broken promises for south-west More broken promises for south-west](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36X6qGAW47CXknvUwBxme3p/20f7d79a-f1a4-42e6-87da-98f485f29d36.jpg/r0_53_1017_625_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Dear valued subscriber,
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Another week, another broken promise for the south-west by the Victorian Labor government.
The region can't catch a break.
This week it was revealed the long-awaited VLocity trains on the Melbourne to Warrnambool line won't replace the old red rattlers in spring as expected, with more works needed after the months-long winter construction blitz.
The Standard reported the arrival of the modern trains were on a spring deadline with Premier Jacinta Allan this month promising new carriages would be introduced when the winter blitz of track work was completed.
But now it appears Ms Allan has to eat her words.
When visiting the region two weeks ago, Ms Allan committed to a date for the new trains.
"My advice is that the winter blitz would be completed in around August/September this year," Ms Allan told reporters at a Warrnambool press conference.
"That's when we can expected to see after that the VLocitys running into Warrnambool for the very first time."
That's now just another broken promise.
The VLocitys were first announced in April 2017 with former Premier Daniel Andrews visiting the Warrnambool train station in July that year.
He said at the time the work would take between 12 to 18 months, meaning the earliest it would finish would be in 2019, and that the city was finally getting the investment it deserved after being "stuck".
2017 was a long time ago.
The south-west deserves better, and more accessible public transport.
It comes as the region was dealt another kick in the guts, after it was revealed last week the state government had also slashed the scope of Warrnambool Base Hospital's $384 million redevelopment after promising not to do so at least a dozen times in the past two years.
With the cost of the project blowing out, a number of other things had to be cut from the new build to meet the $384 million budget. Such things cut included a new kitchen, morgue, pathology lab, staff cafeteria and rehab gym.
Other areas that also got the chop from the project were new spaces from the biomedical department, medical records and education areas.
It's time for the Labor government to start sticking to its promises and giving the region what it deserves.
Take care and stay safe,
Rachael Houlihan, deputy editor