Plea for urgent help to ease our crowded train services

The ongoing surge in petrol prices and concern over fuel shortages in some areas has highlighted a long-time – and growing – problem on South Coast trains.

So says community advocacy group Neighbourhood Forum 5 (NF5), which at its latest meeting called for improved rail services in the Illawarra to meet the increase in demand.

As the Prime Minister was addressing the nation on Wednesday night, and urging workers to leave their cars at home if they can, a meeting of NF5 at Wollongong Library was discussing problems with overcrowding on local rail services, especially in the morning and evening peak.

“Over the coming weeks, if you can switch to catching the train or bus or tram to work, do so,” Prime Minister Albanese said in his prime-time broadcast to the nation.

The NF5 meeting discussed how, while that sounded good in theory, our daily commuter rail services between Kiama, Shellharbour, Wollongong and Sydney are now at capacity.

In fact, they were at capacity even before the additional pressure resulting from the Middle East war-generated fuel crisis.

Commuters using peak hour services have faced overcrowding and in some cases standing room only on services between Wollongong and Sydney.

Nhirid, from Fairy Meadow, commutes from North Wollongong station three days a week to her job at Town Hall in Sydney.

“Since the price of petrol has increased, it‘s certainly been harder to get a seat,” she said.

Tom, from Gwynneville, now leaves his car at home and catches the train to work, heading out earlier in the morning to be sure he can get a seat. “It’s pretty much impossible to get a seat once we get to Thirroul,” he said.

NF5, a long-term critic of our region’s passenger rail service, moved on Wednesday night to seek the support of Wollongong MP Paul Scully to ask NSW Transport Minister John Graham “when Wollongong train users may expect to see more trains on the South Coast line, as promised by the former NSW government, and may they be provided this year?

“Also to advise whether the new trains will continue to go Bondi Junction in peak hours and weekends, and to confirm that in any timetable changes, trains will continue to stop at North Wollongong and Wolli Creek.”

Responding to The Illawarra Flame, Transport for NSW said: “There has been a considerable flow of passengers across the public transport network over the last few weeks.”

The TfNSW spokesperson also said: “All modes of operating services across our network have the capacity to service increased passenger levels.”

Specifically on the Illawarra and South Coast line, despite reports of overcrowding, Transport for NSW said there had only been a two to three per cent increase in passenger numbers between 2 March and 22 March 2026 when compared to the same period last year.

Meantime, on ABC Illawarra on Thursday morning breakfast, listeners expressed their concerns that over the Easter long weekend, as thousands of local commuters prepare to head to the Royal Easter Show, trackworks have been scheduled, meaning buses will operate between Wollongong and Sutherland.

According to one listener, “the timing couldn’t have been worse” especially when people are being asked to use public transport.