As many as 8,000 rail commuters in Macarthur could be left stranded when the Berejiklian Government’s plans to cut T2 Inner West and South line and T5 Cumberland line services between Macquarie Fields and Campbelltown come into effect later this year.
Data obtained by Campbelltown MP Greg Warren under Freedom of Information shows that every week between August and December 2016, an average of more than 32,000 passengers used these services that are set to be cut by the Berejiklian Government.
Once the cuts come into effect, these passengers will be forced to change trains at Glenfield.
This means that between Campbelltown and Glenfield they will have to catch already overcrowded T2 Airport line trains.
The Government claims that this will be offset by the addition of extra services on the T2 Airport line, however the numbers simply do not add up.
“This data lays bare what everyone in Campbelltown knew from day one these changes are a dud deal,’’ says Mr Warren.
“To have a situation where, even if every single train is completely full, thousands of people every week will still be left stranded is not acceptable by any measure.
“Our trains to and from the city are already completely packed every morning and afternoon, so my question to the Government is simple – how do they expect thousands more people to fit into these trains?
“We’ll end up with a situation like we see overseas where station guards have to use a giant pole to pack everyone into the trains like sardines,’’ Mr Warren said.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“This problem will only get worse with the enormous population growth in our region – if the trains won’t be able to cope now, how bad will things be when our population doubles over the next 20 years?[/social_quote]
“It’s time the Premier and the Transport Minister admit they got this wrong, and stop these service cuts before it’s too late.”
As part of the changes, 20 extra services will be added between Campbelltown and the CBD each week – presumably 10 in each direction, but no specific details have been released, according to Mr Warren.
Given that an average eight-carriage train has a seating capacity of approximately 900 passengers and a standing capacity of around 300, the additional T2 Airport line services will only cater for a maximum of 24,000 affected passengers per week, leaving an approximate shortfall of at least 8,000 passengers every week.
Given that Transport for NSW’s own website states that more than 80 per cent of Airport line trains are already overcrowded, Mr Warren expressed his concerns that thousands of commuters may be left stranded with no train to catch.
