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

It is claimed to add more than 1000 extra train services every week to Sydney's network and that there are 600 new express services, though many of these are apparently existing trains scheduled to miss more stops. We can't replicate the calculations - perhaps the erroneous inclusion of 33 columns of Saturday trains in the late-night inbound weekday Western line PDF (pages 20 and 21, still uncorrected as we publish this) explains some of it although there may have been double counting elsewhere too.

1. Secrecy

   The public deserves more notice of broad-based changes like this timetable claims to be. In particular, timetables should be released for comment while it is still possible to make changes - perhaps a full three months before implementation. Despite the over-long preparation, the published PDFs were not free of serious errors - see above.

2. Major changes

   Rockdale and Kogarah have been downgraded and will now be mainly served by Hurstville local trains. While some of their traffic (e.g. high school students) no doubt comes from nearby stations on the Illawarra Local line, they are both important centres warranting good connections with the CBD.

   Homebush is to become largely a turnback station. The unfortunate consequence is that connections to the west are being lost, e.g. trips between Homebush and Flemington now must go via Strathfield at most times.

   Otherwise, the inner west line has fared quite well. It has lost a few supplementary peak hour trains. There will be fewer trains terminating at Ashfield. The span of the 15 minute frequency at weekend is to be extended by one hour in the morning and four hours at night.

   Changes to country services will see Melbourne and Canberra trains routed via the East Hills line; they will no longer make the handy stop at Strathfield. The inbound Western XPT will miss the outbound overnight Melbourne XPT at Sydney Terminal by 12 minutes. Connection between the inbound lunchtime Canberra Xplorer and the Brisbane XPT will no longer be possible either.

   The Brisbane XPT will run a couple of hours earlier, possibly to reduce clashes with Gold Coast services in the 15km between Salisbury and Roma Street; it will arrive Brisbane at 5 a.m. (winter) or 4 a.m. (summer) and start its return to Sydney about an hour later. Many passengers and their Brisbane friends will not like the new times.

3. Gaps between services at some stations

   Another timetable weakness is the uneven spacing of trains, resulting in surprising gaps in the timetable, including some at peak hours.

   You can use the following calculator to show gaps in the weekday timetable at many stations. Gaps exceeding ten minutes are highlighted in yellow, gaps over fifteen minutes in orange, gaps over 20 minutes in red, and gaps over 30 minutes in magenta. If your station appears in two timetable lines (e.g. Ingleburn) the times for each line are shown separately. We have deliberately omitted CBD and many major junction stations that are served by multiple lines.

   
   
   

   Bankstown line stations:	Warwick.Farm Cabramatta Carramar Villawood Leightonfield Chester.Hill Sefton Berala Regents.Park Birrong Yagoona Bankstown Punchbowl Wiley.Park Lakemba Belmore Campsie Canterbury Hurlstone.Park Dulwich.Hill Marrickville Sydenham St.Peters Erskineville
   Western line stations:	Emu.Plains Penrith Kingswood Werrington St.Marys Mount.Druitt Rooty.Hill Doonside Richmond East.Richmond Clarendon Windsor Mulgrave Vineyard Riverstone Schofields Quakers.Hill Marayong Blacktown Seven.Hills Toongabbie Pendle.Hill Wentworthville Westmead Parramatta Harris.Park Granville Clyde Auburn Lidcombe
   North Shore line stations:	Berowra Mount.Kuring-gai Mount.Colah Asquith Waitara Wahroonga Warrawee Turramurra Pymble Gordon Killara Lindfield Roseville Chatswood Artarmon St.Leonards Wollstonecraft Waverton North.Sydney Milsons.Point
   Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs line stations:	Waterfall Heathcote Engadine Loftus Cronulla Woolooware Caringbah Miranda Gymea Kirrawee Sutherland Jannali Como Oatley Mortdale Penshurst Hurstville Allawah Carlton Kogarah Rockdale Arncliffe Banksia Tempe
   Airport - East Hills line stations:	Holsworthy East.Hills Panania Revesby Padstow Riverwood Narwee Beverly.Hills Kingsgrove Bexley.North Bardwell.Park Turrella International.Airport Domestic.Airport Mascot Green.Square
   Blue Mountains line stations:	Lithgow Zig.Zag Bell Mount.Victoria Blackheath Medlow.Bath Katoomba Leura Wentworth.Falls Bullaburra Lawson Hazelbrook Woodford Linden Faulconbridge Springwood Valley.Heights Warrimoo Blaxland Glenbrook Lapstone
   Central Coast line stations:	Newcastle Civic Wickham Hamilton Broadmeadow Adamstown Kotara Cardiff Cockle.Creek Teralba Booragul Fassifern Awaba Dora.Creek Morisset Wyee Warnervale Wyong Tuggerah Ourimbah Lisarow Niagara.Park Narara Gosford Gosford Point.Clare Tascott Koolewong Woy.Woy Wondabyne Hawkesbury.River Cowan
   South Coast line stations:	Bomaderry Berry Gerringong Kiama Bombo Minnamurra Dunmore Oak.Flats Albion.Park Dapto Kembla.Grange Unanderra Port.Kembla Port.Kembla.North Cringila Lysaghts Coniston Wollongong North.Wollongong Fairy.Meadow Towradgi Corrimal Bellambi Woonona Bulli Thirroul Austinmer Coledale Wombarra Scarborough Coalcliff Stanwell.Park Otford Helensburgh
   Hunter line stations:	Scone Aberdeen Muswellbrook Singleton Branxton Greta Lochinvar Dungog Wirragulla Wallarobba Hilldale Martins.Creek Paterson Mindaribba Telarah Maitland High.Street East.Maitland Victoria.Street Metford Thornton Beresfield Tarro Hexham Sandgate Warabrook Waratah Hamilton Wickham Civic

4. Train speed

   Sydney trains travel more slowly in 2013 than their predecessors did in the 1930s, despite stronger track, more powerful and better-engineered trains, more modern signalling, the latest timetabling software and increased competition from motorways. Of course, the number of trips which a train can complete daily diminishes in proportion to slow travel speeds, reducing the number of trips that trains can make at peak hour.

   Trip (typical off-peak service)	Duration in March 1989 timetable	Duration in 2005 timetable	Duration in 2009 timetable	Duration in October 2013 timetable
   Museum to Central via Quay	12 minutes¹	15 minutes	14 minutes	15 minutes
   Bankstown to Central	30 minutes	36 minutes	37 minutes	36 minutes
   Chatswood to Wynyard	17 minutes	21 minutes	19 minutes	19 minutes
   Richmond to Blacktown	39 minutes²	38 minutes	37 minutes	38 minutes
   Katoomba to Penrith	68 minutes	74 minutes	74 minutes	71 minutes
   Guildford to Westmead		13 minutes	16 minutes	13 minutes

   ¹	Bradfield calculated that a trip from Central to Central via Quay should take 11 minutes 38 seconds
   ²	Included change from diesel to electric at Riverstone

5. Further cuts to upper North Shore services

   Although Macquarie line trains add to services on the lower North Shore, the upper North Shore will suffer further reduced services. Ironically, this line passes through the Ku-ring-gai area, singled out by government policies facilitating high-density development near railway stations.
   
   

   Station	Inbound trains per weekday¹ (2005)	Inbound trains per weekday¹ (2009)	Inbound trains per weekday¹ (2013)
   Wahroonga	109	101	81
   Warrawee	109	101	81
   Turramurra	115	108	106
   Pymble	110	104	81
   Gordon	128	117	116
   Killara	118	109	103
   Lindfield	135	110	104
   Roseville	133	110	104
   All Ku-ring-gai	957	860	776

   ¹ Excluding late night services that run only on Fridays