Commuters paying more for overcrowded trains
Posted: Thursday, 29 March 2012 | By: Penny Sharpe
Commuters are paying higher fares for overcrowded trains under Barry O'Farrell, with new figures revealing passengers are being crammed into carriages at 170 per cent capacity – and being charged $156 extra for the pleasure.
"Commuters are getting a dud deal under the O'Farrell Government," Shadow Transport Minister, Penny Sharpe said.
"Not content with forcing people into overcrowded carriages, the O'Farrell Government is now charging them up to $156 extra per year for the pleasure.
"Government figures reveal the Western Line is at 170 per cent capacity, the Illawarra Line 160 per cent and the South Line to Campbelltown 150 per cent capacity in the morning peak.
"In the afternoon peak, the Western, South and Illawarra Lines are all hitting 160 per cent capacity, with at least 74 passengers forced to stand in each carriage.
"To add insult to injury, the commuters in the most overcrowded trains from Penrith, Blacktown, Campbelltown and the Illawarra are being slugged an extra $156 per year in increased fares.
"This comes on top of new figures showing commuters are facing longer and more frequent delays under the O'Farrell Government.
"With no plan from the O'Farrell Government to address seat capacity or increasing congestion on the CityRail network, commuters will continue to be crammed onto trains for many years to come.
"Commuters are also still waiting for the 135 new express services promised by the O'Farrell Government which are nowhere to be seen.
"You can hardly charge commuters more for a service that is worse than what they received this time last year.
"The O'Farrell Government's refusal to take overcrowding seriously is inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of commuters each and every day.
"No one wants to spend up to an hour standing on an overcrowded train before they even get to work each day but that is what commuters from western Sydney are facing under Barry O'Farrell."
*See a full breakdown of overcrowding in morning and afternoon peak here.
Tags: Barry O'Farrell, commuters, fares, Gladys Berejiklian, Penny Sharpe, public transport, trains, transport