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Heathcote MP Lee Evans offered a glimmer of hope to frustrated northern suburbs commuters on Friday, announcing that Thirroul and Helensburgh stations could be in line for car park upgrades.
He said both stations had been placed on a Transport NSW list for priority funding for rail infrastructure, meaning they will have to compete with projects from across the state for $179 million.
However, even if the Illawarra projects are successful in gaining funds this year, Mr Evans said any parking upgrades would be at least 12 to 18 months away.
Joined by Wollongong councillor Leigh Colacino, Mr Evans said he began lobbying Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian about three weeks ago, after hearing from constituents how problematic parking at the two stations had become.
He said Transport NSW staff agreed to visit both stations and witnessed the chaos caused by a lack of car parks, after which the minister agreed to include them in a list of projects being considered for the 2012-13 funding round of the Transport Access Program.
Asked how many projects were on this list, a Transport NSW spokeswoman was unable to provide a number, but said ‘‘all stations on the network are being investigated for potential improvements in the next round of the program’’.
Kiama, Shell Cove, Oak Flats, Dapto and Waterfall are among more than 100 stations that have received money for upgrades in previous rounds of the transport fund.
‘‘It’s great news for the Illawarra because the program is $179million in this current budget,’’ Mr Evans said.
‘‘It does take a while to scope for car parks, and the average car park now – for 150 spaces – costs $32 million, so the program has to be able to be costed and we have to make sure the land is available ... prior to the building start.’’
‘‘If [Thirroul and Helensburgh] are successful, the building will start in the next year to year and a half.’’
Mr Evans also said the NSW government had become ‘‘a victim of our own success’’ with the introduction of the new timetable, because so many people were now using the trains.
‘‘There are so many people now using public transport in this hub system that the hubs, which in this area are Thirroul, Helensburgh and Waterfall, are full very early in the morning,’’ he said.
‘‘The usage wasn’t estimated to be as high as it has been, and we’re moving forward to fix this problem.’’
Keira’s Labor MP Ryan Park said Mr Evans’s announcement was ‘‘a start’’, but more was needed quickly.
He said a petition calling for the government to look into the new timetable has more than 1000 signatures, and he suggested the reinstatement of peak hour trains stopping at stations like Austinmer and Stanwell Park.