Disgraceful attack on Newcastle rail services

The Newcastle railway line is being truncated at Wickham, meaning commuters will have to change transport modes to travel direct to the Newcastle CBD.

Commuters from the Hunter region (eg Maitland, Dungog, Scone) will no longer be able to get directly into the heart of Newcastle. The State Government has provided no evidence why this change is necessary or how this will effect public transport.

The NSW Government claims that this change to the railway line will increase patronage are dubious. Research on transport patronage shows that increased financial and time costs, as well as the requirement of changing modes, discourage a large proportion of people from using public transport.

There are deep community concerns that this is a plan that benefits only property developers, who want access to the rail corridor. Community consultation on the removal of the rail line has not occurred and there has only been limited consultation on the rouse of the light rail.

Any light rail network should be an addition to, not a replacement for, the current rail service.

With the resignation of various Hunter MP’s over questions of corruption and the recent resignation of the Newcastle Lord Mayor who is a property developer, all existing decisions around the future of the Newcastle rail line must be put on hold.

The RTBU consistently stands in solidarity with the Newcastle community with a visible presence at organised gatherings in an effort to stop Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian’s outrageous plans to trash rail transport in Newcastle.