Natalie Di Paola
The end of spring marks an outcry towards the new public transport timetables introduced by Cityrail.
The new timetables, which were introduced to make travelling easier for commuters, have done the opposite. Commuters have now found themselves stranded and waiting and travelling for long periods of time in place of their previous trips.
One Twitter user, Sandra Dean, said, “Sending commuters in the other direction and adding them to already overcrowded trains – new timetable is a shocker #cityrail #cityfail.”
Another user, arianees2, tweeted, “Yo #cityrail the people wanted more frequent trains .. NOT add more stops and time to our journey. Are you guys alright? @TransportforNSW #fail.”
Whilst these issues are mainly being faced by citizens from the West, Northern Sydney has not being exempt from it.
Despite the addition of over 150 weekly services to the T1 North Shore Line and 230 T1 Northern line trains, commuters find themselves waiting longer for overcrowded trains.
“Every time there is a timetable change I need to wait longer for a much more packed train! And I live in the lower North shore! #shittyrail #cityrail #trainfail @T1SydneyTrains,” shared Twitter user, VZ.
Commuters have also been unhappy with the addition of trains on quieter lines. That is, they have noticed that some services, such as the Leppington service, have empty trains.
The new timetables have also been devoted to introducing over 3,200 extra weekly bus services across the Northern Beaches as well as the new B-Line service. The B-Line service is a yellow double-decker bus that provides frequent services between Mona Vale and Wynyard, and will extend to Newport in 2018.
Commuters will be able to leave their cars in carparks in Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Dee Why and Brookvale. The first to open will be Warriewood carpark.
“Northern Beaches customers are finally getting major service improvements with the new B-Line service offering a more reliable, convenient and frequent service,” said Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance.
“These changes, along the with introduction of new and extended tidal flow systems on Military and Spit Roads, will improve traffic flow and provide greater reliability to public transport users.”
There will also be more than 140 extra weekly ferry services including a new Cross Harbour ferry route linking the Eastern Suburbs, Lower North Shore, Inner West and Sydney CBD.
While it is unclear yet if buses or ferries will be a better alternative to trains, trains have been preferred in the past for their ability to bypass traffic and for being close to workplaces and public amenities.
