7 March 2019
Residents of Auburn and Bankstown electorates have nominated the lack of direct train services to the City as the most pressing transport issue ahead of the NSW State Election.
Community frustrations remain large over the multiple forced interchanges at Birrong, Lidcombe and Strathfield as a result of the 2013 removal of the Inner West Line’s “City to Liverpool (and Bankstown) via Regents Park” service.
Around 8,000 commuters are forced to interchange at Lidcombe every day, as a result of the loss of Inner West Line services to Liverpool/Bankstown via Regents Park.
A further 11,000 commuters will be forced to interchange at Bankstown every day once the Sydney Metro Southwest replaces the existing heavy rail between Sydenham to Bankstown, removing the last direct train service to the City Circle.
The Restore Inner West Line and Save T3 community action group has received nearly 400 messages and survey responses from local residents in February alone, raising concerns about the removal of all direct train services to the City.
Despite the introduction of the M4 Toll, WestConnex and traffic congestion, over 94% of survey respondents singled out the need to interchange between trains (such as at Lidcombe station) as most problematic.
With the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro set to make further cuts to the Bankstown Line, the reinstatement of the direct train to City from Bankstown and Liverpool via Regents Park (Inner West Line) is the most sought-after public transport need in the local community.
Other pressing issues include the lack of express services from Auburn and Lidcombe stations resulting from the 2017 Sydney Trains timetable change, as well as the (in)frequency of trains at Berala, Regents Park, Sefton and Chester Hill.
Restoring the Inner West Line to Liverpool (and Bankstown) via Regents Park reduces overcrowding at Lidcombe station and allows for more fast trains to stop at Lidcombe, Auburn and Granville.
The Restore Inner West Line/Save T3 community action group also joined Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour, Canterbury MP Sophie Cotsis, the Sydenham-Bankstown Alliance and many locals at the SAVE OUR BANKSTOWN LINE rally in Campsie on Thursday 7 March.
The SAVE OUR BANKSTOWN LINE rally in Campsie’s town centre called on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to keep direct trains to the City Circle for all stations on the T3 Bankstown Line.
Given the lack of community consultation by the government and the exclusion of a Chinese translation on the Sydney Metro website, many residents, particularly from multicultural backgrounds, were unaware of the impending cut to train services.
According to documents obtained under Freedom of Information from Transport for NSW, travel times to City will increase up to 17 minutes for Southwest and Liverpool commuters if the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro is built.
Restore Inner West Line and Save T3 supports the proposal from EcoTransit for the Metro to be a new railway from Sydenham to Miranda via Sydney Airport as an alternative to the F6 toll-way.
We would like to thank the community and our volunteers for their support over the past 6 years in our fight to improve public transport in Western Sydney.
ENDS
Restore Inner West Line/Save T3 – Community Action Group: Roydon Ng 0426500330
www.restoreinnerwestline.org.au www.SaveT3.org PO BOX 470 Lidcombe NSW 1825
