Thousands of commuters from Macarthur and outer South Western Sydney are set to receive a significant boost in services and reliability when the new rail timetable comes into effect on November 15.
Many of them will particularly celebrate the return of the direct service to Parramatta, dumped many years ago by the previous government during another timetable change.
Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren paid tribute to local commuters who advocated for years for this service.
“I should never have been taken away but now they take advantage of the direct service to Parramatta every 15 minutes,’’ he said.
The State Government says the most significant change to this part of the rail network in more than a decade will deliver “more trains, additional capacity and improved performance’’.
It concedes some journeys under the new timetable may take slightly longer due to revised stopping patterns and additional services, but “the vast majority of passengers will benefit from increased service frequency, improved reliability and better connections across the network’’.
Transport for NSW is encouraging commuters to check the new timetable and plan their journey before travelling when the changes take effect on November 15.
Changes on the T8 Sydney Airport and the South West Line will include:
- Services every four minutes on average during peak periods between Green Square and Wolli Creek, up from every 6.5 minutes. These turn-and-go metro-like services will benefit high density housing communities and airport travellers.
- The T8 Airport and South Line will be renamed the T8 SYD Airport and South West Line, better reflecting the destinations and communities it serves.
- Under the new timetable, all T8 services will operate through the Airport Tunnel via International Airport, Domestic Airport and Green Square, providing a simpler and more consistent service.
- Passengers travelling from the South West will no longer have direct access to Sydenham, St Peters, Erskineville and Redfern stations during peak periods. These passengers will be required to interchange at Wolli Creek to access these stations.
Changes on the T2 Leppington and Inner West Line:
- Inter-peak services that currently terminate at Homebush will be extended to Parramatta, providing an all-stops T2 Leppington & Inner West Line service between the Sydney CBD and Parramatta every 15 minutes.
- Passengers at Flemington, Homebush, Lidcombe, Auburn, Clyde and Granville will benefit from improved local connectivity as well as improved access to Parramatta during inter-peak periods.
“If you rely on the T4, T8 and South Coast Lines this timetable change you will get you more trains, shorter wait times and a more reliable service,’’ says minister for transport John Graham.
“The former government neglected the heavy rail network but we know a million passengers rely on it every day. That’s why we’re spending a record $2.1 billion on maintenance and increasing services with this new timetable.
“People living along these lines haven’t seen a significant service upgrade in over a decade. They deserve better and now they’ll get it.”
