Media Release: NSW Budget, Transport announcements all show, no substance

The transport components of today’s state budget are more focused on providing good media headlines than on funding genuine improvements to public transport, the RTBU says.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary, Alex Claasens, said many of the transport announcements in today’s budget are all well and good, but lack the substance needed to genuinely improve transport in the state.

“It’s what’s missing from this budget that tells the real story,” Mr Claassens said.

“Of course money for station upgrades is always very welcomed, but what about all of the other stations that are still crying out for accessibility improvements? We still have far too many stations that are inaccessible to less-able commuters.

“Of course, more bus and train services are welcomed, but what about all the services that this government has slashed recently? And the plans to close down a number of the state’s rail lines for months on end?

“What commuters really want to see is a genuine commitment to improving public transport – not just the regurgitating of announcements that have already been made in the past, or the creative muddying of figures to make it look like this government is actually improving public transport.

“This government has systematically attacked our public transport services and has articulated its plans to continue to attack our transport services. This budget does nothing to allay the concerns commuters and workers have about the future of public transport in this state.

“When it comes to transport, this budget lacks any real substance. That’s incredibly unfortunate when you consider just how much room there is for improvement there is.

“What’s missing from today’s budget is a commitment that the NSW Government will be taking action on the things that really matter, like maintaining safety and jobs through the introduction of the new intercity fleet; keeping our public transport services in public hands; keeping our vital rail lines open to commuters; and committing to training the at least 150 additional train drivers we need to keep the rail timetable running.”

2000 new bus services figure is deceptive

Tram and Bus Division President, Dave Woollams, said the budget announcement that Sydney will get an additional 2000 bus services is a classic case of smoke and mirrors.

“What we’ve seen in the past is that this Transport Minister talks up new services, but fails to mention all the services that he’s cut, or will be cutting, in order to make the new services possible,” Mr Woollams said.

“It’s completely deceptive to say that we’ll get new services when the Transport Minister knows services have been cut and when we know that his privatisation plans will mean even more cuts.

“It’s also missing key details. We already have a severe shortage of bus drivers in this state – how are they going to manage to work all these new services if we don’t have enough drivers to keep the current services running?”