The T2 Inner West Line and South Line is renamed T2 Inner West and Leppington Line. New T2 also extended to Parramatta despite Transport for NSW claiming lack of track capacity west of Homebush as a reason for 2013 Inner West Line cut (at Homebush).
- T1 Western Line no longer stops at Burwood – more interchanges needed at Strathfield
- T1 Western Line no longer stops at Lidcombe in the AM peak – 105 fast trains cut each week
- Lidcombe is serviced only by the T2 Line in the AM and PM peak – slower trains to and from City
- T1 Western Line no longer stops at Auburn on weekdays until late night – major cut to fast trains
- T1 Western Line no longer stops at Granville on weekdays until late night – major cut to fast trains
- Lidcombe, Auburn, Clyde, Granville, Harris Park have slower trains to and from City due to being skipped by T1
- More interchanges at Strathfield between T1 Western Line and T2 Line to reach stations skipped by T1
- T2 Inner West and Leppington Line slowdown increases travel times for Fairfield and Liverpool
- Liverpool loses fast trains to City – new T3 Bankstown Line “fast” trains are slower than current T2
- New “fast” Liverpool to City via T3 Bankstown Line has less services than current T2 fast trains
- Service gaps of 25 minutes during peak for Villawood, Leightonfield, Carramar on T3 Line
- The 1 morning and 2 afternoon T3 Bankstown Line via Strathfield (Liverpool to City via Regents Park – “special Inner West Line”) trains poorly timed for students at Chester Hill High School, Sefton High School, Regents Park Christian School, Trinity Catholic College – Regents Park and Homebush Boys High School
Case Study: Sefton to Homebush – travel times more than double!
A 14 minute direct train in 2002 from Sefton to Homebush has now become a 35 minute indirect journey with 3 trains and 2 interchanges (at Birrong and Lidcombe) in 2017’s new timetable.
Sydney Metro
The current T3 Bankstown Line runs from Liverpool to City via Bankstown and Lidcombe to City via Bankstown
Sydney Metro construction and shutdowns of Bankstown Line begin during 2018
Sydenham to Bankstown will be converted to Sydney Metro by 2024 with buses to replace trains during construction
- Stations west of Bankstown not receiving Sydney Metro will also have replacement buses instead of trains during Bankstown Line shutdown – can be avoided if the Inner West Line (Liverpool/Bankstown to City via Regents Park) is restored
- Stations west of Bankstown (Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar, Birrong, Yagoona) will also lose all direct City trains due to Sydney Metro at Bankstown – can be avoided if the Inner West Line (Liverpool/Bankstown to City via Regents Park) is restored
- Some Transport for NSW documents/webpages (Page 16 of Sydney Metro City & Southwest Project Update February 2017) suggest T3 Bankstown Line to be cut at Cabramatta in future – Liverpool to Bankstown will require an interchange at Cabramatta
Community Consultation
- Effectively non-existent for our area (as usual) – the Restore Inner West Line community group was not consulted.
- No specifically designed feedback channel for 2017 timetable. The 2002 CityRail timetable had its own webpage with a dedicated form that commuters could submit. The current Transport for NSW feedback forms generally only allows for feedback for issues that occur today or in the past.
- Community Consultation/Stakeholder Engagement period reduced by 1 month. Originally Transport for NSW announced on its website that commuters should wait until November 12 to plan their journeys with the new timetable. However the final timetable was released on October 13 with commuters being encouraged to plan their new trips now.
Recommendation
Restore Inner West Line: Liverpool to City via Regents Park and Bankstown to City via Regents Park, to ensure stations have direct City services especially due to Sydney Metro’s Sydenham to Bankstown.
And to reduce overcrowding on other lines (it also provides additional route from Liverpool to City reducing demand on T2) and reduce interchanges at Strathfield, Lidcombe, Birrong, Bankstown, Cabramatta, reduce travel times and reduce traffic congestion – especially with WestConnex tolls and bad train timetable forcing South West Sydney onto local roads as rat runs.
