For the second time this month, Transport Minister Andrew Constance has knocked back an offer to talk to Illawarra commuters face to face.
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Earlier in July, the minister declined Keira MP Ryan Park’s offer to ride a crowded afternoon South Coast rail service and talk to commuters.
Now, he has also said no to a meeting with commuter group Illawarra Rail Fail (IRF).
“Not only is the minister ignoring Ryan Park’s invitation to ride our trains, he is refusing to meet with citizen action groups,” IRF’s Bronwyn Batten said.
“It is a minister’s role to listen to the people – not to lock himself up in the ivory towers of Macquarie Street.”
IRF had written to the minister in early July after the group and NSW Greens submitted a petition with more than 2000 signatures.
The petition called for improvements to the South Coast line and raised concerns that the New Intercity Fleet will exacerbate the problem of crowded trains as they have fewer seats than the Oscars now on the rail line.
Ms Batten was unhappy with the minister’s response to the petition, which praised the incoming fleet.
“The minister’s response showed no respect for our concerns and so we have continued to pursue the issues,” she said.
In response the group wrote a letter requesting a meeting with the minister to discuss immediate action to deal with overcrowding on afternoon services.
“The conditions on these trains cannot wait till 2021 and the arrival of the new fleet,” the letter said.
“With population growth in the next three years these trains, which are already beyond capacity, will become a very real danger.”
Mr Constance declined to respond directly to the request to meet with the group, delegating the knock-back to Transport for NSW.
“I understand the minister responded to your recent petition,” the Transport for NSW letter stated.
“As the minister’s response remains current, there is nothing further I can add to this time.”
Mr Constance also did not explain to the Mercury why he had declined to meet with the group.
Instead a spokeswoman for the minister highlighted the government’s work on the South Coast line.
“Since we came into government in 2011 we added additional carriages on the South Coast Line to help address crowding issues – the majority of peak period services are now eight carriages long,” she said.
“All services to and from Central that are currently operated by four carriage trains will be progressively replaced by longer trains with the New Intercity Fleet arrives.”
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.
