Commuters on the Ballarat line will be able to use their mobile phones by the end of next year thanks to an $18 million injection by the state government.
Public Transport Users Association western region spokesman Paul Westcott said that for too long, public transport users in rural and regional Victoria had complained about poor mobile coverage on V/Line services.
He said the investment in public transport, which will bring country services into line with metropolitan ones, was a move in the right direction.
“Many people will be familiar with the promise by the previous Coalition government that free wi-fi would be provided on V/Line trains,” Mr Westcott said. “Absolutely nothing was done.”
Telcos will be asked this month to co-invest with the state government in mobile phone towers on the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour and Traralgon lines.
Construction of towers is due to start by mid next year.
Mr Westcott said it was a no-brainer that coverage needed to be improved along lines where it was practical, safe and legal to use mobile phones.
“The Ballarat line is plagued by mobile blackspots,” he said.
“Fixing the problem will add to the attractiveness of public transport. Commuters can make use of that travelling time to use their mobile devices or catch up on work.”
