NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam and Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government would increase peak train services and create new express services for train commuters. 

"I will make a significant investment in the CityRail network to provide more peak and express services to restore confidence in the rail system and make train travel a real alternative again," Mr Debnam said.

"Train commuters suffered badly at the hands of Labor's service cuts when they created their slower timetable, creating a massive overcrowding problem," he said.

"I will restore the peak hour services Labor cut and provide more peak hour express services.

"A NSW Liberal/Nationals Government will:

Immediately conduct a full review of the CityRail timetable to prioritise the urgent introduction of additional peak and express services on the CityRail network. This review will be completed within six months and will produce a new draft timetable for public comment.

The review will be required to produce a new timetable that restores up to 127 peak services axed by Labor, as well as creating new express services, without reducing existing off-peak services.

New express services to be introduced as part of the timetable review will include services to/from Sydney and the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, South Coast, Penrith, Campbelltown and Cronulla.

Implement the new timetable including additional peak and express services within twelve months of completion of the review.

"This is about restoring faith in public services that has been lost under Labor.

"We have listened to commuters who have been crying out for more train services.

"Instead of making commuters wait longer to get to and from work and depriving them of important family time, a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government will give passengers more train services.

"We need to deliver better services for the people of NSW.

Ms Berejiklian said Morris Iemma and part-time Transport Minister John Watkins had ignored the needs of rail commuters.

"Morris Iemma and part-time Transport Minister John Watkins cut 416 daily train services for their slower timetable," Ms Berejiklian said.

"Commuters were promised a better train network but Labor's service cuts, together with slowing trains down, has created a rail system where trains are overcrowded and can't get people home on-time," she said.

"Labor has shown itself to be incapable for managing our rail system by falsely claiming the Waterfall inquiry told the Government to slow trains down.

"This claim has been rebuffed by the chair of the inquiry himself, Justice Peter McInerney who, displeased with Labor’s continued misrepresentation of his report to justify the slower timetable, stated: “the final report doesn't make any suggestion trains should be slowed down”.[1]

"Just like their dodgy on-time running figures, Labor simply can't be straight with commuters.

"Our commitment to provide additional peak and express train services is part of our comprehensive plan to improve rail services.

"As well as introducing additional peak and express services we will freeze all public transport fares for the first four years of a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government.

"We will also scrap Labor’s misleading definitions of ‘on-time running’ for trains, bus and ferries, and put truth back into public transport timetable reporting.

"Under a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government a service will only be considered 'on time' if it arrives within the minute it is scheduled to arrive," Ms Berejiklian said.

Mr Debnam said Labor's claims that nothing can be done were a sign of a tired, arrogant government who had given up listening to the public.

"We need a change in NSW, I'll start the job of fixing our state on day one," Mr Debnam said.

[1] ‘Rail Safety Line a Lie’, The Daily Telegraph, 2 June 2006, p5.