The state's rail network has been "fragile" for five years, according to an interim report into train services.
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The Sydney Trains Review was promised by Transport Minister Jo Haylen during the March election campaign and set up in early April.
The review focused on Sydney Trains, which provided network access for South Coast services but was not directly responsible for the services themselves - that falls to TrainLink NSW.
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It released its interim report on Monday - and it didn't paint a picture of a robust and healthy rail service.
The review found that the reliability and resilience of services and the network had been under pressure ever since the 2017 timetable revamp that put an extra 1500 weekly services on the tracks, including 750 new weekend train services.
The South Coast line was boosted by extra weekend services.
"The timetable was designed to achieve maximum utilisation of the train network, in anticipation of growing patronage, but was far too tight to effectively maintain services, provide resilience following incidents and to give adequate access for maintenance of rail infrastructure," the report said.
In terms of maintenance, the South Coast line has been closed several times between Thirroul and Waterfall in the past 12 months to repair damage caused by heavy rain.
Those closures could continue as the backlog of maintenance work across the network gets bigger.
"Under current projections of planned maintenance activity, the performance of Sydney Trains' rail infrastructure is unlikely to improve," the interim review stated.
"In fact, it is likely to worsen."
The report also noted ongoing industrial action related to the introduction of the New Intercity Fleet - also called the Mariyung Fleet - has exacerbated service and maintenance delays.
Among the report's recommendations is that Sydney Trains take over the responsibility for the Mariyung Fleet and station staffing from TrainLink NSW.
It identified cost savings by removing duplicated senior management and financial roles.
It could also improve customer service, noting that while Sydney Trains is updating its information screens on platforms, there is nothing similar on the South Coast and other NSW TrainLink services.
It also called for an accelerated maintenance program to reduce the backlog to "acceptable levels" within 12 months.
The report identified a window of opportunity to reduce the backlog while customer numbers have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and before the next major timetable change in 2024.
There was also the recommendation that Sydney Trains work with rail unions develop a procedure to manage major change "to ensure rail unions are fully engaged at all appropriate stages of the procurement of major rail assets".
Ms Haylen said the government would begin to implement these three and the nine other recommendations contained in the report.
"Since the former Liberal Government introduced the 2017 timetable, reliability has plummeted," Ms Haylen said.
"It's not in the imagination of the travelling public that the trains have been getting worse. This data proves it.
"The interim recommendations put forward by the review team today are the first steps on the path to restoring the resilience and reliability of the NSW railway.
"That's why the government will accept all 12 recommendations from this interim report."
The panel's final report is due to be released on October 31.
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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.
