HAWKESBURY commuters deserve better according to a Hawkesbury commuter group.
Stuart Gale runs the Improve Richmond Train Line Services Facebook page, which was started in response to the troubles Sydney Trains has been having since its timetables changes in November.
Gale said it was positive to hear Riverstone MP Kevin Conolly say the duplication of the Richmond train line was on the government’s radar, but said it should have be completed a long time ago.
“Given Richmond line commuters have already waited 27 years for the promise of duplication to be honoured, this should have been completed before the North West Rail Link, George Street Trams, Parramatta Trams and the scores of other projects around Sydney such as the redevelopment of sporting stadiums,” he said.
Mr Conolly said he expected the government would not consider the duplication of the line for “seven or eight years”, until road upgrades around Riverstone and Schofields had been completed.
Mr Gale said that was unacceptable, and said he and many other commuters felt the Hawkesbury was left behind by infrastructure projects.
“This project is vital to the day to day lives of residents,” he said.
“The only hurdles in the way are those imposed by the current state government.
“The corridor to widen the track already exists. There is no need for the Government to resume land, and the bulk of the work to duplicate the line such as survey work was done by the labor Government prior to 2008 as they had earmarked $436 million and had completed the blue prints for the project.”
Mr Gale said he would not be satisfied by anything short of a full duplication of the line.
Mr Conolly said he supported duplication as far as Mulgrave, and possibly Richmond, but the line between Richmond and Mulgrave would be very expensive to build because it would need to be raised above the flood plains.
Mr Gale said he appreciated that was true, and therefore there should not be a delay in delivering the project.
“The duplication of the line cant be a half baked option that ends at Mulgrave. It needs to go all the way to Richmond,” he said.
“Mr Conolly's statement is very true, and it will get even more expensive the longer this project is delayed.”