19 Apr 2017 Wangaratta Chronicle, Wangaratta VIC (General News) A REFURBISHED fourth V/Line passenger train is now in service on the North East line. The train commenced service on Thursday with a service which boasts a refurbished exterior and interior, upgraded bogies, a new buffet section, new cushions and reupholstered seats, new carpet, curtains, lighting and a fresh coat of paint. The train also has new toilets and better accessibility for people with disabilities and parents with prams. The extra train was made possible with the addition of one new carriage to turn three train sets of five carriages into four train sets of four. Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said there is also greater storage capacity for bikes and the train is the first in V/Lines long-distance fleet to be covered in the purple, white and yellow Public Transport Victoria livery. Previously, three fivecarriage trains operated on the North East line the bare minimum required to operate the three return services that run between Melbourne and Albury each day. This meant that if a train had to be taken out of service for maintenance or repairs, there was no option but to put passengers on coaches. The fourth train will provide an extra train set for the North East line meaning there will be one in reserve if anything unexpected happens. Ms Symes said the upgrades were part of the State Governments $15 million investment in better trains for the North East line, which will see the refurbishment of the remaining three trains while we get on with finalising the next generation of rolling stock for northern Victoria. I think passengers will be pleased with the refurbishments that Labor has delivered, my children gave the improvements the thumbs up, Ms Symes said. Its part of our $15 million investment in better trains, while we plan for the next generation of rolling stock for the North East line. Its hoped more funding will be allocated for the North East rail line in the state and federal budgets released next month. Caption Text: THUMBS UP: Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) and her children, Archie and Phillipa, were impressed with the refurbished train service which ran for the first time last Thursday. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.