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

CityRail will introduce a new timetable across all lines on 11th October 2009. This is the first major re-write since September 2005. The biggest single change will be integration of the new Macquarie Line trains into Main North and lower North Shore services. However, there are many deficiencies in the new timetable and CityRail does not seem interested in rectifying them.

1. Unnecessary slow running on every line

The worst aspect of the timetable is the excessive reliance on slow running and on pauses at several stations, apparently in an attempt to improve the on-time running statistics. Regrettably, the official "justification" for this policy is that safety is CityRail's highest priority.

The McInerney report on the Waterfall crash in January 2003, which is sometimes cited as authority for speed being dangerous, did not say that safe trains had to run slowly. Railways in many cities run fast trains safely.

The result is that Sydney trains travel more slowly in 2009 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 do daily diminishes in proportion to slow travel speeds, reducing the number of trips that trains can make at peak hour.

Off-peak (stopping all stations)	Duration in March 1989 timetable	Duration in current timetable¹	Duration in October 2009 timetable
Museum to Central via Quay	12 minutes²	15 minutes	14 minutes
Bankstown to Central	30 minutes	36 minutes	37 minutes
Chatswood to Wynyard	17 minutes	21 minutes	19 minutes
Richmond to Blacktown	39 minutes³	38 minutes	37 minutes
Katoomba to Penrith	68 minutes	74 minutes	74 minutes
Guildford to Westmead		13 minutes	16 minutes

¹	September 2005 timetable
²	Bradfield calculated a trip from Central to Central via Quay should take 11 minutes 38 seconds
³	Included change from diesel to electric at Riverstone

It should be noted that this speed issue is quite different from the changes resulting from integration of the new Macquarie line, which has made some trips faster (e.g. Chatswood to Epping) and some slower (e.g. Pennant Hills to Central).

2. Gaps in the timetable at many stations

Another timetable weakness is the very 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 your station. Gaps over 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.

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
South and Inner West line stations:	Macarthur Campbelltown Leumeah Minto Ingleburn Macquarie.Fields Glenfield Casula Liverpool Warwick.Farm Cabramatta Carramar Villawood Leightonfield Chester.Hill Sefton Regents.Park Berala Canley.Vale Fairfield Yennora Guildford Merrylands Granville Clyde Auburn Lidcombe Flemington Homebush Burwood Croydon Ashfield Summer.Hill Lewisham Petersham Stanmore Newtown Macdonaldtown
Illawarra line stations:	Waterfall Heathcote Engadine Loftus Cronulla Woolooware Caringbah Miranda Gymea Kirrawee Sutherland Jannali Como Oatley Mortdale Penshurst Hurstville Allawah Carlton Kogarah Rockdale Banksia Arncliffe Wolli.Creek Tempe
East Hills line stations:	Macarthur Campbelltown Leumeah Minto Ingleburn Macquarie.Fields Glenfield Holsworthy East.Hills Panania Revesby Padstow Riverwood Narwee Beverly.Hills Kingsgrove Bexley.North Bardwell.Park Turrella International.Airport Domestic.Airport Mascot Green.Square
Bankstown line stations:	Liverpool Warwick.Farm Cabramatta Carramar Villawood Leightonfield Chester.Hill Sefton Homebush Flemington Lidcombe Berala Regents.Park Birrong Yagoona Bankstown Punchbowl Wiley.Park Lakemba Belmore Campsie Canterbury Hurlstone.Park Dulwich.Hill Marrickville St.Peters Erskineville
North Shore line stations:	Waitara Wahroonga Warrawee Turramurra Pymble Gordon Killara Lindfield Roseville Chatswood Artarmon St.Leonards Wollstonecraft Waverton North.Sydney Milsons.Point
North Shore (2006 timetable¹):	Waitara Wahroonga Warrawee Turramurra Pymble Gordon Killara Lindfield Roseville Chatswood Artarmon St.Leonards Wollstonecraft Waverton North.Sydney Milsons.Point

3. Other anomalies

Some stations have more frequent inbound services in the afternoon peak than in the morning. Warrawee (a minor station) has 11 inbound services between 4pm and 5pm! But Warrawee and five other stations (Waitara, Wahroonga, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville) all have a 15-minute gap after the inbound 8:09 ex Hornsby. And Warrawee has a separate 15-minute gap after the 8:23 ex Hornsby (so do four other stations). Lindfield, a fairly busy station, is little better off. These gaps are totally unacceptable because late starters at destinations including Chatswood and North Sydney need frequent services and more capacity around those times. The gaps should be fixed, even if an extra service needs to be run.

Schoolgirls who live at stations Stanmore to Summer Hill and who take the train to any of several schools at Croydon, Burwood and Strathfield can have 30-minute gaps if any trains are cancelled. This is because some trains service stations from Ashfield inwards and some other trains service Ashfield outwards. No connection has been provided at Ashfield. The same applies to commercial and retail workers at Burwood and Strathfield.

4. Service reductions on upper North Shore

Although Macquarie line trains will add to services on the lower North Shore, the upper North Shore will suffer reduced services. 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 weekday (2005)	Inbound trains per weekday (2009)	Decrease
Wahroonga	109	101	7.3%
Warrawee	109	101	7.3%
Turramurra	115	108	6.1%
Pymble	110	104	5.4%
Gordon	128	117	8.6%
Killara	118	109	7.6%
Lindfield	135	110	18.5%
Roseville	133	110	17.3%
All Ku-Ring-Gai	957	860	10.1%

5. CityRail ignores public feedback on those issues

Although CityRail claimed in its Update Issue No. 8 (2009) to be working through 2080 public suggestions, and making some changes in response, the gaps pointed out above in the timetabled services at Burwood and Croydon have not been rectified. Nor have the North Shore peak-hour gaps. However, additional daytime weekend services have been given to the Bankstown and Inner West lines.

The Cityrail website blandly says "Stations X, Y and Z will receive a similar level of service and frequency as in the current timetable. However, some departure times will change." This is simply incorrect for e.g. Lindfield and is an oversimplification for many other stations as it ignores the issue of irregularly-spaced services.

. . . . back to APTNSW home page.