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Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian concedes the steps at the Unanderra railway station are ‘‘pretty bad’’, but has refused to commit to new lifts there.
Last week the NSW Parliament debated a petition containing 10,000 signatures calling for the installation of lifts at the station.
Wollongong MP Noreen Hay lodged the petition in May, demanding the government install the lifts.
In 2009 the then NSW Labor government announced $11.4million for a station upgrade that included new lifts.
But in September 2010, water, gas and signal cables were discovered under the planned lift pits. The redesigned upgrade would cost $16.5million.
Then this year Unanderra was missing from a list of stations to benefit from the new coalition government’s $770million transport-access program.
But the government did commit $39million for a new station at Flinders, which will eventually replace the Dunmore-Shellharbour station.
Ms Hay said if $16.5 million was the new cost for new lifts at Unanderra, then so be it.
Ms Berejiklian said ‘‘unfortunately, commitments made by Labor when in government did not come to fruition’’.
She said $1million would be spent on lighting and closed-circuit television and on making the stairs non-slip.
‘‘I know this does not go as far as the community would like – I know the stairs are pretty bad – but I have a responsibility to those stations that are ready to go.
‘‘I am trying to get on with the job and do things as quickly as I can.
‘‘I have to fix about 200 stations around the network.
The government would upgrade Dapto, Gerringong and Albion Park stations.
‘‘We know we have more work to do at Unanderra, as we do at many other stations.’’