Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully, has called on the Berejiklian Government to get serious about improving South Coast passenger rail services in the June Budget.
In a Private Members’ Statement delivered to the NSW Parliament yesterday evening Mr Scully outlined some of the problems with passenger rail services to the Illawarra including passengers being forced to stand, or sit on the stairs of overcrowded trains, including commuters sitting on the toilet
Mr Scully told the Parliament that the June 19 Budget provided an opportunity for the Berejiklian Government to get serious about passenger rail to and from the Illawarra calling on the Government to do something, noting that anything would be an improvement on the nearly eight years of neglect so far.
The call for improvements to passenger rail services coincides with the 30th anniversary of the then Greiner Government cancelling construction of the Maldon to Dombarton rail link.
Mr Scully noted that the separation of passenger and freight rail tasks that could happen with the completion of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link is the single biggest change that could take place on the South Coast Line and that it was a necessary first step to other passenger rail improvements.
Mr Scully called on the Berejiklian Government to match NSW Labor’s commitment of $50 million in foundation investment to work with the private sector to get the Maldon-Dombarton rail link built but also to commit to access improvements at Unanderra Station.
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“There is no better example of the wrong priorities of the Berejiklian Government which is putting seats at Sydney stadiums ahead of more seats on South Coast rail services.
“For the last eight years the NSW Liberal Government have deliberately, and some would say wilfully, neglected the need for improvements on passenger rail services to and from the Illawarra.
“In the June Budget the Berejiklian Government needs to end the commuter crush on Illawarra train services by adding more carriages and it needs to lift its game by committing to access improvements at Unanderra station.
“The Berejiklian Government has the wrong priorities and it is time that something; anything was done to improve passenger rail services on the South Coast Line.”
