After four years of complaints about overcrowding, the state government has buckled and decided to add extra carriages to South Coast trains.
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The carriages will come from another weekday South Coast service – but won’t arrive until January.
On Thursday, Transport Minister Andrew Constance announced the crowded four-car 3.24pm and 3.54pm services from Central to the South Coast would be upgraded to eight cars.
“We’ve listened to the community. In recent years, travel patterns have changed, especially for people who live on the South Coast but work or study in the city,” Mr Constance said.
When the new carriages arrive in January, the 3.54pm service will revert to a four-car train at Wollongong
A Transport for NSW spokesman said the extra carriages had been months in the planning.
“The solution was found in replacing an Oscar train on the 5.46pm South Coast service from Central with a Tangara, freeing up the extra Oscar carriages,” the spokesman said, adding the capacity of both trains was the same.
READ MORE: Train crowding solution unenforced – MP
“Network changes require detailed planning that takes into account not just a single service, but how it will affect the broader line, network, and timetable. This includes managing power supply and available rolling stock, and having sufficient time to communicate the changes to our customers.”
The community complaints about crowding on those services go as far back as 2014, when Transport for NSW received an average of almost two complaints a day about overcrowding.
Commuter group Illawarra Rail Fail has been campaigning for extra carriages on those services.
Founder Bronwyn Batten was “pleased” with Mr Constance’s decision but said there was more to be done.
“Overcrowding is a critical issue for Illawarra commuters and we are pleased that it is beginning to be addressed by the government,” Ms Batten said.
“However, there is much more that needs to be done to ensure the Illawarra gets the rail service it needs and deserves.”
Ms Batten said the government needed to introduce measures to avoid a return to overcrowding when the New Intercity Fleet arrived, because it had “significantly” fewer seats than the Oscars now on the South Coast line.
“Illawarra Rail Fail will continue to seek a meeting with the Minister for Transport to address this and other critical rail issues facing the Illawarra including reducing travel times, improving connections between local and express trains, and ensuring all stations are accessible,” she said.
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.
