Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

The only reference APTNSW can find to public transport is a statement that a large investment would be required to meet the need with public transport.

The need is clearly peak-hour traffic - the route has adequate capacity at other times. Not even the RTA argues that expansion is needed outside peak hours. But as anyone who travels that way at peak hour, or who listens to traffic reports, already knows, incidents producing queues many kilometres long happen a couple of times a week and traffic in the peak direction moves slowly at best even in the absence of incidents.

Patronage on the East Hills railway line fell when the M5 East opened. It concerns APTNSW that the government is expanding roads when it should be expanding rail services or containing peak demand. And the roads won't help in the long term, as 2 extra lanes needed for 2 hours only carry 7200 vehicles which cannot make a major impact on shifting the hundreds of thousands who live in the Campbelltown-Narellan-Camden area (assuming 2-second spacing = 1800 vehicles/lane/hour).

Adequate expansion of the rail network would require, among other things, an extra set of tracks under the city and probably tracks from Epping to at least Castle Hill. There would also need to be expanded feeder services into Campbelltown and possibly other centres. Fortunately, tracks from the south-west already serve Parramatta, Bankstown and the airport.

While costly, expanding the rail network would have other benefits. It is wrong that the RTA can push on with radial route expansion aimed at the peak-hour motorist while CityRail projects get floated and then cancelled.

APTNSW urges the RTA to follow proper procedures to consider alternatives.