Rubbish and lack of carparking leave train users frustrated at Broadmeadows and Craigieburn

THE “bubblegum” Broadmeadows and carpark-crushed Craigieburn train stations are among the worst in the state, a new survey shows.

Broadmeadows station has been ranked one of the worst in Victoria. Picture: George Salpigtidis

THE “bubblegum” Broadmeadows and carpark-crushed Craigieburn train stations are among the worst in the state, a new survey shows.

The 2017 RACV and Leader News On Track survey saw more than 17,000 commuters rank their stations out of 10 based on parking, cleanliness, shelter, safety and bus/tram connections.

Broadmeadows was the sixth worst with a score of 4.53 for lack of cleanliness, graffiti, safety issues and a shortfall of car spaces.

Only Donnybrook, Ruthven, Aircraft, Murrumbeena and Merinda scored lower.

The Leader spoke to commuters last week at Broadmeadows who weren’t surprised it rated so poorly given it was a pigsty, unsafe and desperately in need of a facelift.

The tracks were strewn with rubbish including clothes, cans/bottles, cardboard and cigarettes.

Rubbish at Broadmeadows station. Picture: Mark Wilson

Commuters refer to it as the “bubblegum station” because of chewing gum on the platforms and seats.

The survey results will put more pressure on the State Government to commit to a better funding deal.

RELATED: Hume Council to up the pressure to secure a better deal for Broadmeadows station

Hume Council had labelled the government’s $4 million upgrade, announced last year, nothing more than a cosmetic fix.

Craigieburn was the 10th worst due to a lack of parking, poor connecting bus services and not enough entry/exit points.

Craigieburn station is one of the worst for carparking according to commuters. Picture: Stuart Milligan

RACV mobility advocacy manager Dave Jones said it was “imperative” improvements were made.

“To not only improve the commute of those who use these stations daily, but also to encourage more Victorians in these growth areas to use public transport and take pressure of our roads,” he said.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said while parking had long been an issue, creating more spaces wasn’t a sustainable solution.

“It’s very difficult to build carparks, it’s expensive and there isn’t enough land around the stations,” he said.

He said the government needed to provide better bus and tram connections.

Metro spokesman Marcus Williams said they were “running more services, undertaking more maintenance and seeing more major network upgrades than ever before”.

Hayley McNaughton, a spokeswoman for Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, said passenger satisfaction with trains was “at a record high”, according to the latest Public Transport Victoria passenger survey.

“We’re getting on with a $30 billion program to transform our transport network by building the Metro Tunnel, removing level crossings, adding carparks and building new stations right across Victoria,” she said.

See how all the stations rated: leadernews.com.au