A WIMMERA woman will play an integral role in forging the Wimmeras train and rail links with the rest of the state. Wimmera Development Association chief executive Jo Bourke was named as part of a new Regional Transport Advisory Group on Friday. The group is part of state governments Regional Network Development Plan, which aims to improve train and rail services in regional Victoria. The group will be co-chaired by Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes and Gippsland Regional Development Committee chair Richard Elkington. Mrs Bourke will join the chairs and six other representatives from across the state to drive consultation with regional communities and provide recommendations to the state government. She said the group was a great way to collect community input. The government is really keen to get regional input into the review, she said. Having the advisory group to work with Public Transport Victoria and the department is a good thing. Mrs Bourke said the group would work with community groups, organisations and community members to get the best picture of the regions needs through face-to-face consultations and surveys. Mrs Bourke said the group would also use background information including infrastructure data and demand numbers to form its recommendations. We are not going to get a bus or train line that is going to suit everyone, she said. This process is about identifying where the need is and getting feedback about the priorities. Mrs Bourke said there were some obvious concerns within the Wimmera. She said community transport, interstate transport and connections to Ararat and Ballarat were longstanding issues. Mrs Bourke said consultation would start on June 23 with stakeholder workshops in Gippsland. Workshops will continue across the state during the next two months. Once we get the information from the feedback and the data together, well put that in a recommendation to highlight where the priorities are, Mrs Bourke said. She urged people to attend the consultation sessions when they reached the Wimmera. She said details would be announced in the next few weeks.