Echuca is now free of retired train carriages that sat at the station for over a year.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
The last remaining retired train carriages have been removed from Echuca Station.
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A V/Line spokesperson said the final set of classic fleet carriages was relocated to the Bendigo Rail Workshops on Friday, February 14.
“We work closely with tourist rail operators and other interested parties on repurposing some sets and parts from the retired fleet,” they said.
Classic fleet rolling stock has been progressively retired while V/Line rolls out its modern VLocity trains on to the network.
Over 600 parts and components from classic carriages have been donated to the tourist and heritage sector to be repurposed for existing heritage rolling stock.
Three sets of classic fleets have been donated to the Seymour Rail Heritage Centre, 707 Operations and an interstate operator.
Peter Walsh beside a vandalised train carriage at Echuca Station last year.
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said he had been campaigning for the removal of the carriages since they first arrived in Echuca.
He said he tried multiple avenues to have the trains removed, and that the Victorian Government had taken too long to deal with the carriages.
Mr Walsh said he first raised the problem after noticing vandals and squatters in the carriages, along with smashed glass, torn out seats and drug paraphernalia nearby.
“The government response was to send a second load of carriages to Echuca,” he said.
“Then a third lot arrived, and this time they were parked smack in the middle of the Echuca Station, just in case people had not seen the first mess.”
While the issue was now resolved, Mr Walsh said it was representative of what he called a city-centric government that didn’t prioritise most of regional Victoria.
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