As someone who is working to enhance the employment opportunities of people in the Bendigo region, I am constantly hamstrung by what is little more than a tourist train service. The stupidity of the single-line track is leading to repeated delays in a service that already has long gaps between trains.

Apparently the out-of-date signalling system leads to short delays becoming 30-minute-plus delays. Every day the announcements of the delays ring out on loudspeakers. Eaglehawk station only has a handful of services to it every day and none before 10am.

Other transport services within Bendigo are little better.

All of this adds up to employment opportunities being severely limited for people in this region if they depend on public transport. Surely with an election this year the two local MPs and their opponents can give some attention to this fiasco.

Can we see one of them commit to a “real” service for commuters before the November poll?

HANS PAAS,

Castlemaine