WHILE the good news that a V/Line ticketing agent has been appointed for Hamilton was well received by Lowan MP Emma Kealy, she said there remained the issue of lack of access to public toilets for local passengers.

Ms Kealy said she was pleased to now see the agency taken up by Slade’s Newsagency in Gray Street, Hamilton.

However, she was disappointed that passengers waiting to catch the V/Line bus at the Hamilton Railway Station still have no access to bathroom facilities, with the nearest public toilets 400 metres away.

Given the railway station is locked to the public, this also means that passengers have no shelter from the weather, which is especially important at this time of year.

“While the announcement of a new ticketing agent is a step in the right direction, the Andrews Labor Government is yet to address the lack of access to public toilets at the Hamilton Station,” she said.

“This is totally unacceptable as these facilities are basically inaccessible for the elderly, those with mobility issues and very young children.”

In May, The Spectator ran a story after being contacted by a passenger who regularly used V/Line.

The local woman said it wasn’t just the fact that passengers weren’t able to buy tickets in person at that time, or use the toilet facilities, but that there was nowhere for people to wait, especially the elderly or disabled in the middle of winter.

“There were elderly passengers from Coleraine,” she told The Spectator.

“They (were) worried about not having access to the toilet facilities or where they can wait in winter.

“There are toilets on the coaches, but nobody really wants to use those.”

Ms Kealy had been lobbying the Victorian Government since the unexpected closure of the agency at the Hamilton Railway Station earlier this year.

“I (was constantly) contacted by a large number of Hamilton and district residents who (were) unable to buy a bus ticket locally since the closure of the Hamilton V/Line office,” she said.

“(That) situation created much distress and inequity for local residents.

“While it is good news that we finally have a local V/Line ticketing agency again, it is unacceptable that it has taken seven months for this service to be restored in Hamilton, one of our largest regional centres.

“Public transport services in western Victoria are already extremely limited.

“I am calling on the minister to direct Public Transport Victoria to ensure local residents are supported to take full advantage of the few services we have and are not further punished by situations like they have experienced this year.”