Hasn’t Been This Much Chat About Trains In Victoria Since Jisoe Was Kicking Around

PETE CLARK | Melbourne | CONTACT

The Victorian Government secretly raised public transport fares to help fund the Suburban Rail Loop according to the Auditor General’s office. 

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll was public transport minister in 2021 at the time the levy was approved. 

After toppling Jacinta Allan, Carroll has sought to distance himself from the controversy surrounding the Big Build projects which seems impossible now.

It appears that there hasn’t been this much buzz around Victorian trains since Justin ‘Jisoe’ Hughes was smashing galves in the early 2000s.

In an exclusive interview The Advocate managed to sit down with Jisoe at a Bahn Mi joint in Footscray to discuss the mood of the state. 

“I was shattered bro…”

“To find out the level of the corruption alleged to have taken places at the highest level of government that are responsible for decision making related to public transport”

“Just shattered,” he said glumly. 

“Don’t get me wrong it’s good to see people taking an interest in trains but nothing's been the same they started running Xtraps”

“It’s all fuckin downhill since they got rid of the Hitachi”

After a long nostalgic conversation about the blue met cards and the unforgettable feeling of the wind sailing through your hair whilst doing a back on, Mr Hughes seemed pleased that people were talking about trains again. 

“People still have love for the locomotive, there’s a new generation of gunzels coming up”

“Imagine painting a wholecar at the airport station bro … that’s futuristic” 

More to come.