The Liberal Baird government continues to deceive South West Sydney with its claims that major infrastructure projects such as WestConnex and the Sydney Metro will address public transport issues for suburbs such as Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar.
The $14.9 billion dollars spent on WestConnex which arguably is a future carpark services no where near suburbs such as Chester Hill and Regents Park which have lost over 80% of train services due to the 2013 timetable changes. A new toll road that doesn't even go into the Sydney CBD cannot simply replace 80% of train services that have been cut from South Western Sydney.
The Sydney Metro's Bankstown extension despite its name and constant claims by the government to be improving South Western Sydney's transport stops at Bankstown. The Sydney Metro line will be from Bankstown travelling east to the City and then north to Chatswood to connect with the North West Rail Link. Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar are all west of Bankstown and having lost train services from the 2013 timetable changes can expect no benefit from the Sydney Metro.
The conversion of the Bankstown Line to Rapid Transit status for the Sydney Metro is overstated as it is only a partial conversion for some eastern stations from Bankstown and the City (St Peters and Erskenville are excluded). Also the impact of the construction of the Sydney Metro to Bankstown and longer term impacts on commuters is being downplayed by the Liberal Baird government in an attempt to cover up its implications.
During the construction period of the Sydney Metro's Bankstown extension from 2019, all Bankstown Line train services will not operate (despite the fact the the Sydney Metro uses the same rail track gauge as the regular Sydney Trains fleet). Buses will replace trains on the Bankstown Line until the completion of construction estimated to be around the early 2020s. Restore Inner West Line will call for a Lidcombe to Cabrammata via Regents Park train service during and after the construction of the Sydney Metro Bankstown extension as part of the wider effort to restore the full Inner West Line (Liverpool via Regents Park). Transport NSW has not responded to our questions about specific arrangements for commuters in the area during the construction of the Sydney Metro.
Commuters from Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar, Birrong and Yagoona can expect to see further cuts to train services with the Sydney Metro's Bankstown extension. From 2019 onwards passengers at Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar, Birrong and Yagoona will no longer have direct train services to the Inner West and City on the Bankstown Line either. Passengers will be required to make interchanges at Cabramatta, Birrong, Bankstown, Lidcombe, Strathfield for connecting services to the Inner West and City.
Restoring the Inner West Line (Liverpool via Regents Park) would be a solution to the cuts to train services on the Bankstown Line to be introduced with the construction of the Sydney Metro. Stations such as Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood and Carramar would be able to have at least 1 train instead of no trains if the Inner West Line (Liverpool via Regents Park) train service would operate along this route. The impact on Bankstown Line commuters would be significantly minimised.