Rail commuters say MPs still deaf to timetable concerns

Rail commuters angry about changes to the South Coast Line’s train timetable have accused Keira MP Ryan Park of double standards.

Campaigning before the 2023 NSW election, which was won by Labor, the sitting MP was highly critical of the then Liberal government for failing to consider the needs of local train users.

In a campaign flyer distributed widely across the electorate, and seen by The Illawarra Flame, Ryan Park stated in his headline: “Local commuters ignored by government”.

Encouraging Illawarra residents to vote for a change of government, he said more than 5000 people had signed his petition “calling on the Liberal government to listen to commuters and change the timetable”.

Three years later, and with another election early next year, commuters are still unhappy, this time with Labor’s timetable changes which are being phased in to coincide with the introduction of the new Mariyung trains on the South Coast Line.

At the new trains’ launch in mid-April, local MPs jumped aboard the first service from Kiama and highlighted the improved on-board facilities and shorter 15-minute wait times in the morning and afternoon peaks.

Commuters 'worse off'

Dawn Peacock, who launched a petition of her own criticising the new timetable, says thousands of commuters who regularly travel to the airport or to work in Sydney’s CBD will be worse off.

She says those 15-minute services will be 15 minutes slower due to the need for airport passengers to make an extra stop at Hurstville before boarding a second train to go to Wolli Creek before changing again.

As reported in The Illawarra Flame, the number of people travelling to the domestic and international airports from the South Coast could be as high as 120,000 each year, according to data received from Transport for NSW.

Dawn says those voices cannot be ignored.

“I think we need to ask Ryan (Park) when he stopped listening to the 120,000 local commuters who use Wolli Creek interchange each year,” Dawn says. “We are all saying this vital transport hub should not be made more difficult to access.”

Dawn says regular commuters who were promised faster commutes on the new timetable should consider the increase in “dwell time” at Hurstville.

“This is the total time a train spends stopped at a station for boarding, alighting, and door operations, and this will increase as the number of passengers travelling with luggage increases at Hurstville.

“Trains will be banked up outside of Hurstville instead of outside of Wolli Creek. This is not an improvement and if they try to rush boarding passengers this is just a recipe for accidents and injury.”

Ryan Park said he appreciated Dawn’s advocacy and acknowledged the community’s broader feedback, “particularly from seniors, regular travellers and families, regarding the convenience of the historical direct link to Wolli Creek for airport and CBD transfers.

“While the introduction of the new Mariyung fleet brings much-needed modern amenities, increased capacity, and improved overall reliability to the South Coast Line, we know that any adjustment to commuting routines causes understandable frustration,” he said.

“Because the fleet purchased by the previous government is physically unable to navigate the Eastern Suburbs Line tunnels or use the turnaround infrastructure at Bondi Junction, these trains are structurally required to operate on the ‘main’ rail lines to reach Central, meaning there is physically no platform at all at Wolli Creek for the trains to pull up to.

“This track alignment is the only way to safely deliver the 15-minute peak frequencies the Illawarra community has long requested.

“To directly address these commuter challenges and minimise the impact on those travelling with luggage or with limited mobility, the new timetable has been purpose-designed around a seamless, step-free, same platform transfer at Hurstville.

“I will always advocate for improved public transport in the Illawarra and will continue to engage with Minister for Transport, John Graham, to ensure our community’s voice is front of mind as the new network rolls out.”

Meantime, the Thirroul Village Committee (TVC) has joined the growing chorus of critics of the new timetable and in the minutes of their latest meeting members were urged to write to Member for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart, to raise their concerns.

The TVC has written to the MP, asking for the reinstatement of the stop at Wolli Creek. The Illawarra Flame also contacted Ms Stuart’s office.

In response, a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said “future timetables will increase the number of services on the South Coast Line.

“At this stage, specific details on service frequencies and the timing of the changes are still being determined.

“When developing the train timetable, Transport for NSW considers what will deliver the best outcomes for the majority of passengers,” the spokesperson said.

McInerney pledge

Meanwhile, Member for Kiama Katelin McInerney, who attended protest meetings organised by the unions in Bomaderry and Kiama last month, says she will continue to work to improve services for South Coast commuters.

“Since coming to the role last October, I have been advocating relentlessly on behalf of the many, many community members who want a genuinely reliable commuter service,” she said.

The Labor MP said she had met with Sydney Trains and the Minister for Transport to ensure the views and ideas for the community were heard.

“We are a growing region and I won’t stop working to ensure our regional network gets its share of funding.”

Work disrupts Kiama station services

Meanwhile, there will be disruption in and around Kiama’s railway station over the next few weeks. Transport for NSW says the work will continue until Friday, August 7.

“To accommodate the new trains, we need to upgrade and modify some existing rail infrastructure at various locations across the rail network,” TfNSW said.

The works will include new signage, installing new underground service routes, removal and trimming of vegetation.

Up to nine parking spaces in the Kiama Station park and ride commuter car park will be temporarily unavailable from 6am on Wednesday, July 15 to 6pm on Tuesday, July 21.

Works will take place along the South Coast Line over the next six months to support the new 10-car Mariyung services. This will include platform extensions, infrastructure relocation and adjustments, signalling and track works.

Transport for NSW says it will take steps to rescue noise and impacts on the community and the environment while the work is under way. The community will be notified ahead of any works with notifications to be published on the Rail Infrastructure Upgrades webpage.