As part of the $270m Sunbury Electrification Project (SEP) the Diggers Rest Railway Station was promised upgrades to the existing toilets and waiting room facilities.
Instead, the facilities were upgraded, making them DDA compliant, to be left abandoned.
However, despite relentless calls from Melton City Council, residents and commuters, the Hon Minister for Transport Jacinta Allan (MP) remains defiant, keeping the toilets closed to the public.
In accordance with recent correspondence from the Minister to the Melton City Council, there are currently no plans to provide staffing at the station, which means the toilet facilities will stay locked and not available for public use.
In 2009, the then Labor government sold the idea of a “Park-n-Ride” facility to alleviate some of the parking congestion at Sunbury which was caused by all day rail commuter parking.
Today, the toilet and waiting room facilities remain closed, which is not consistent with the hallmarks of a true “Park-n-Ride” facility.
Public Transport Victoria does not consider the current patronage levels sufficient to sustain staffing at the station.
Unfortunately, with the toilets always closed, the car-park mostly full and many trains not stopping at Diggers Rest, don’t expect a great deal for the future.