Forwarding a newsletter from Colleen Hartland:

Tell your friends about the campaign by clicking here.

The next Altona Loop Community Meeting is 7:30pm Tuesday 29th March at the Altona RSL Function Room, 31 Sargood Street Altona.

The community is justifiably outraged at the proposal to cut Altona Loop services in 5 ways. The government can and should reject this proposal outright.

The aim of the campaign is to send a clear message to the government that the community needs public transport improvements, not cuts.

There are a number of ways that you can Take Action to make this campaign a success!

Go to the Altona Loop webpage where you can send an email to the Minister, MPs and Metro; download and print the petition; tell your friends about the campaign and share it on Facebook.

The community has already demonstrated its strength and determination. The first Communtiy Meeting on 3 March was a great success with over 250 people overflowing from the Altona Louis Joel centre. You can see photos on Colleen’s Facebook and download a summary of the meeting here. The next meeting is 7:30pm 29th March at the Altona RSL.

The proposed new train timetable will cut services to the Altona Loop in the following ways:

1. The Altona Loop will lose direct access to the city loop;
2. The Altona Loop will lose all of its express trains;
3. Services will be reduced from 20 to 22-minute intervals during peak periods;
4. Outside peak periods the service will be reduced to a train shuttle from Laverton to Newport so most passengers will have to change trains;
5. The Altona Loop will lose direct access to the Werribee line (all trains start and finish at Laverton).

The government must work to deliver public transport improvements, not cuts.

I stood up in Parliament and called on the Minister to reject the proposed train service cuts and instead deliver public transport improvements. This government makes the final decision on the train timetable and has the power to say it is not good enough to cut the Altona loop service in five ways. Together, this is what we must convince the government to do.

Community strength and action has saved the Altona Loop in the past, and we’re going to do it again!

Colleen Hartland