The NSW government's draft train timetable has slashed the number of express services in the Illawarra, Keira MP Ryan Park says.
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Mr Park said he was requesting an urgent meeting with Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian over the draft timetable that he believed will see rail commuters spending more time getting to work.
"This government has completely gutted the express train, while also mismanaging stops at smaller stations, and the result is commuters will sit on trains longer," Mr Park said.
"That ultimately leads to less time at home with their families."
Mr Park cited the 7.01am weekday service from Wollongong to Central, which stops at just seven stations and takes 89 minutes to arrive in the city. The draft timetable's 6.55am service would stop at 16 stations.
Mr Park also said the revised timetable would see some stations losing out on direct trains. He said that under the current system commuters at Woonona could catch one of five direct trains to Central from their local station.
The draft timetable reduces that to three - at 5.02am, 6.42am and 9.06am.
"I am very concerned that the government seems to be cutting express train services from Wollongong to Sydney in the draft timetable," he said.
"Long-suffering Illawarra commuters often spend over three hours per day on the train travelling to work - and I do not want that time to increase as a result of the government's mismanagement of a new train timetable."
A Transport for NSW spokesman said the draft timetable was still being tested before its introduction on October 21.
He said extensive public consultation took place throughout 2012, including regional forums, briefings and the chance to comment and make submissions during the development of the Long Term Transport Master Plan.
"These consultation channels provided Transport for NSW with clear messages about what the community wants from public transport and are central in drafting the new train timetable, which will focus on reducing timetable complexity, revising stopping patterns to better reflect customer demand, reducing crowding, improved journey times and introducing new services," the spokesman said.
"This feedback was provided to timetable designers to incorporate into the new timetable."
