Unanderra train station should have been included among the locations recently announced for upgrades, according to the state government’s own documents.
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Data used to determine rankings as part of the Berejiklian government’s Transport Access Program (TAP), obtained by Wollongong MP Paul Scully under freedom of information laws, has revealed the Illawarra station scored higher than two other stations receiving upgrades.
The TAP selection criteria and prioritisation process documents for the confirmed train station upgrades were requested by Mr Scully after the government announced last month that 11 stations would receive upgrades – such as new lifts, ramps and footbridges – as part of the 2018 state budget.
Unanderra was excluded from the budget allocation.
The documents revealed Unanderra was ranked 11th as of October last year – one place below Mittagong station, which will be upgraded.
Unanderra station also ranked well above Wyee on the state’s central coast, which was in 20th position, and Blayney, in the state’s central west, at number 29.
The criteria includes patronage, passenger growth, population data, if there are transport interchanges at the location and its proximity to schools and health facilities.
The documents also confirmed the concept design for the Unanderra station upgrade, including the installation of lifts, was “complete” but had been “deferred”.
Mr Scully said the revelations came on the back of NSW minister Matt Kean being caught on camera bragging that train station upgrades had been “bumped up” the TAP list by political “skulduggery and manoeuvring”.
Mr Kean told campaigners at the tiny Hawkesbury River station that it was shifted by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
He later dismissed the comments as “nothing more than a light-hearted joke”.
The then-Labor government allocated funding to install lifts at Unanderra station in 2010.
Mr Scully said that funding was ripped away by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the then-transport minister, and despite a “vigorous community campaign” to have the money reinstated, no progress has been made.
“What these secret documents confirm is that the Berejiklian government is rorting the upgrade of train stations,” he said.
“Unanderra Station has missed out on its upgrade time and time and time again over the last seven years because of political skulduggery, shenanigans, rorting and fiddling of the Transport Access Program.
“The people of Unanderra and surrounding suburbs are just asking for a fair go.”
A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Andrew Constance said an accessibility upgrade at Unanderra Station was “being considered as part of the TAP Tranche 3”.
“Labor need to look at their own track record here before they dare criticise the NSW government,” the spokeswoman said.
“In June 2009, in a blatant display of pork barrelling, the then Labor government Minister for Transport and Minister for Illawarra, David Campbell, announced that RailCorp would be upgrading Unanderra Station. This announcement included the provision of lifts.
“Construction works at Unanderra began in May 2010. In typical Labor fashion, planning was botched and works were subsequently suspended in September 2010 due to significant faults with their proposed design that could not be overcome.”
The spokeswoman said since the Liberal-National government was elected in 2011, more than 450 TAP projects had either been completed or were under way across the state.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
