WIMMERA residents have had their say on the future of public transport in the region. The state government has released the regional public transport consultation report, which provides a snapshot of feedback from consultation sessions across Victoria. This has been the biggest community consultation on public transport ever undertaken in regional Victoria and I would like to thank the thousands of people who contributed their passion and ideas, Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan said. The extensive feedback received will play a central role in developing Victorias first ever long term strategy for better regional public transport the Regional Network Development Plan. Regional Transport Advisory Group co-chair Jaclyn Symes said the strong response from the community showed how passionate people in country Victoria were about better train, coach and bus services. Advisory group members, including former Wimmera Development Association executive director Jo Bourke, drove the consultation process and presented the report in parliament. Mrs Bourke said Public Transport Victoria undertook an extensive consultation program throughout the state and she was pleased with the level of support from Wimmera residents. We had a session in Horsham in September and people raised a whole range of issues, she said. From that the government will develop a plan to address short, medium and long-term issues. Nearly 300 people attended workshops in the Grampians region, which included sessions in Horsham, Ararat, Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh, Maryborough and Hamilton. Mrs Bourke said main issues raised in the Wimmera included extending train services, using buses more efficiently and co-ordinating the services with train services and also the possibility of using school buses for public transport in the region. The report said a common concern raised was about the frequency and reliability of services and one of the top priorities was reinstating a passenger rail service from Ararat to Horsham. Other priorities identified included providing more bus services between rural and regional towns, providing more services to connect people to Melbourne and a creating service from Horsham to Halls Gap for tourism purposes. Mrs Bourke said the state government would release its response to the report early next year. Some things will be tackled straight away issues such as ticketing, she said. However long-term issues like extending rail services in the Wimmera are going to take longer.