NSW Government distracted by Property Development ahead of Transport Planning

28 March 2024

 

The Sydenham to Bankstown Alliance (SBA) represent commuters, local residents, and concerned citizens in the Inner West and South West Sydney aghast at the lack of adequate planning ahead of the biggest shutdown of commuter rail service on the T3 Bankstown Line starting mid-2024.

 

Despite the wasteful conversion of Sydenham to Bankstown commencing in under 3 months, the NSW Government has not announced any “StationLink” buses for T3 Bankstown Line commuters, unlike Epping to Chatswood when Northern Suburbs commuters received a dedicated fleet of new buses (fully accessible and air-conditioned) in advance of the line closure in 2018.

 

It should be noted that Epping to Chatswood commuters were provided with “StationLink” buses and information about timetables up to 5 months ahead of the line’s closure, yet Sydenham to Bankstown commuters are still in the dark about replacement bus routes and travel times.

 

Furthermore, it is concerning that the NSW Government has not resolved the bus driver shortages across Sydney but yet is continuing with to replace trains with bus for T3 Bankstown Line commuters for 12 months from mid-2024.

 

We call on Transport for NSW to release the rationale for how 140 bus drivers will suffice to transport at the 60,000 to 100,000 commuters that use the T3 Bankstown Line every day when trains are suspended.

 

It is clear that the NSW Government’s focus on transport has been severely distracted by the influence of property developers in lieu of the Transport Orientated Development Program.

 

The continued refusal of the NSW Government to release the full business case of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project despite the NSW Parliament Inquiry into Sydenham to Bankstown line conversion (2019) recommendation for its full publication calls into question all Transport Orientated Development earmarked along the T3 Bankstown Line.

 

While commuters between Sydenham to Bankstown are bearing the brunt of the T3 line shutdown, commuters on other lines are also likely to experience overcrowding issues along with increased road congestion.

 

Sydney’s commuters don’t have to go through this inconvenience – the T3 Bankstown Line can be upgraded through new signalling and station improvements without the need for these destructive shutdowns and billions of dollars in wasted expenditure.

 

The Sydenham to Bankstown Metro has been created as a gift to property developers and speculators with its commuters and residents in heritage suburbs along the line who are now paying the price.