Two local MPs who are part of the Berejiklian Government have jointly announced that South West Sydney is about to gain “a much-needed boost through increasing weekly train services by 92 percent at some stations’’.
Chris Patterson, the State Member for Camden and Melanie Gibbons, the State Member for Holsworthy, also said that a draft of the new train timetable has been handed over to Sydney Trains to help prepare staff for “the largest increase in capacity ever introduced to the Sydney train network at one time’’.
The MPs claimed more than 1,500 extra weekly services will be introduced across the train network from late November.
“A big part of this uplift will be in the west and south west, which are the fastest growing regions in Sydney,” Ms Gibbons said.
“By reconfiguring the T5 Cumberland and T2 Leppington Lines, we are delivering a massive 92 per cent increase in the number of trains stopping at Leppington and Edmondson Park Stations each week.
“Trains stopping at Glenfield Station each week will also increase by 20 percent from late November, providing a much needed service boost for customers in South Western Sydney.
“There will also be a new fast service between Liverpool and the Sydney CBD on the T3 Bankstown line.
“We have already experienced record growth on our network in recent years, and we know that train trips to and from these important parts of Sydney are set to grow further.
“It is vital we cater for this growth by providing services that better connect customers between North West Sydney, South Western Sydney, Western Sydney and the Sydney CBD,” Ms Gibbons said.
Mr Patterson said: “Campbelltown and Macarthur customers will have access to 10 express trains per hour in the morning peak periods to better connect them with the Sydney CBD via the T8 Airport Line.
“We’re also adding 160 new services per week on the T5 Cumberland Line running on weekends and late at night for the first time, improving connections between Western Sydney and South West Sydney.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Given the increased focus on Glenfield Station as an important transport hub, we’ve ensured customers have access to an easy cross platform interchange, upgraded facilities, including new extended canopies and service indicator screens,” Mr Patterson said.[/social_quote]
The announcement by Mr Patterson and Ms Gibbons has failed to convince a critic of local rail services, Labor MP Greg Warren, who dismissed it as spin.
“The government can come up with as many flashy videos as they want, but it will never be enough to hide the real truth about these timetable changes.
“The fact of the matter is simple – from 26 November when these timetable changes take effect, there will be fewer train services available from stations between Campbelltown and Glenfield than there are today.
“Today, I could go to Campbelltown station, get on a train and get off that train at Parramatta. From 26 November, that won’t be possible – passengers will have to get off at Glenfield and wait for a connecting train.
“The government’s own data shows that more than 32,000 people every week in Campbelltown catch train services that are about to be axed – but of course there’s no mention of them in the government’s announcement.
“They can try to put as much lipstick on this pig as they want, but at the end of the day it’s still a pig – and an ugly one at that,’’ said the State Member for Campbelltown.
