Public transport advocates used a forum in Maryborough last night to lobby for the Victorian town to get more train services.

Public Transport Victoria is running community consultation sessions for the State Government's Regional Network Development Plan.

Last night's forum was the first to be held in central Victoria.

A Maryborough-based rail advocate, Noel Laidlaw, said the simplest way to improve local services would be putting on an extra weekend return service from Melbourne.

"Because if you want to come up and see grandma or come up to the Talbot Market, or whatever you like during the weekend, you can't do it on a day return trip," he said.

"There is more capacity obviously during the weekend ... so that one should be a bit of a no-brainer.

"At the moment we've got one morning train going to Ballarat and Melbourne and one coming back of an evening.

"Under any reasonable approach to the thing you would say that would be fairly inadequate."