It was touted by the government as a way it was dealing with the issue of overcrowded trains on the South Coast line.
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But once Transport for NSW introduced “U-stops”, it appears almost nothing has been done to actually enforce them.
A U-stop is a stop at a station where passengers are only allowed to get on and not off the train.
The stops exist on two afternoon South Coast services, the 3.24pm and 3.54pm from Central.
All suburban stops between Central and Helensburgh on those trains are pick-up only services.
Anyone getting off at those stops risks a $100 on-the-spot fine.
The idea is to discourage Sydney commuters travelling to those stations from using services dedicated to the South Coast.
Yet it appears not one single person has been fined since they were introduced almost two years ago.
They were introduced in October 2016 and, after a year, a Transport for NSW spokesman admitted to the Mercury that no fines had been issued.
This week the Mercury again asked whether anyone had been hit with a fine for getting off the train at those U-stops.
While a Transport for NSW spokesman did mention the existence of the $100 on-the-spot fine, he did not supply an answer to the question of whether anyone had been fined.
Which strongly suggests that no one has.
The spokesman said efforts were made at Central to discourage Sydney commuters from using South Coast services.
“Stop indicator displays on the platforms and the automatic public address announcements do not include the suburban stations as stops,” the spokesman said.
“Therefore the first stop to be announced on platforms for these two services is Helensburgh.”
However each U-stop is still listed in the South Coast printed and online timetables, albeit with a symbol next to it denoting it as a pick-up only station.
Given that regular commuters use a timetable rather than arriving at a station and then working out which train to catch, indicator displays and public address announcement were likely to have little effect.
This was why Wollongong MP Paul Scully wrote to Transport Minister Andrew Constance about increasing the enforcement of U-stops by adding staff at those stations.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
