Packed commuter parking areas at Thirroul and Waterfall are set to get even more congested, as changes to the South Coast train timetable mean more people are likely to be driving to major stations.
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One of the main effects of the changes to the timetable is that fewer trains will stop at the smaller stations between Helensburgh and Wollongong.
With half-hour waits for connecting trains likely for some commuters at smaller stations, the "park and ride" option will become more popular.
Some Mercury readers whose home stations will be skipped by the new timetable have already signalled their intention to drive to Waterfall and catch the train from there.
Waterfall station's car parking capacity was expanded in 2010 to about 200 cars, but when the Mercury visited yesterday there was barely a single spot free, as is often the case.
A major upgrade was announced in February for Waterfall station, but expanding the parking area was not listed among the initial plans.
On Thursday, cars were parked in each available space along the highway on-ramp, as happens each day.
On Thirroul's main street - and spare ground nearby - parking spots close to the train station are difficult to find.
Thursday was no different, with car parking areas near the station full.
The Mercury asked Transport for NSW if these parking issues had been foreseen and planned for with the new timetable.
A department spokesman detailed the current upgrade to Waterfall station - which does not include more parking.
There are as yet no plans to upgrade parking at Thirroul.
"More work is being done to see which stations will be upgraded next," the spokesman said.
"Any upgrades to Thirroul station will be considered under the next round of Transport Access Program upgrades."
