Accessibility upgrades at Carramar, Yennora and Villawood stations: Transport for NSW to prepare business case

For more than a decade, disability advocates have been campaigning for lifts to be delivered at train stations in the Fairfield area. Now, business cases will be prepared to see if the upgrades can be fast tracked.

Fairfield resident Pauline Davidson,

After a decade-long push for accessibility upgrades to train stations in the Fairfield area, hope may soon be on the horizon with the NSW Government set to consider business cases in the near future.

It comes as a Fairfield woman has no choice but to spend $500 a month on taxis as she has no way of accessing train station platforms in her wheelchair.

Yennora, Carramar and Villawood stations have long posed challenges for wheelchair users, with lobbying to NSW Parliament for upgrades since 2012 coming up empty.

Wheelchair user Pauline David said taxis were the only way to get around.

“I found it easier to catch taxis even though they’re more money which for me isn’t covered by NDIS so I have to pay hundreds out of my own pocket instead of catching a train which would cost me $2.50” she said.

Fairfield resident Pauline David in 2017.

The 42-year-old said she would avoid Villawood, Carramar and Yennora stations as she can’t get off the platforms in her wheelchair.

Currently, Carramar and Villawood stations have no wheelchair access and Yennora only has

ramp access, forcing mobility-impaired commuters to swap train lines at a different station.

“The stations needs to be accessible, it’s 2023 and you would think a lift would have been built by now as they’ve had plenty of time,” Ms David said.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the state government had committed to expanding the program by combining it with the Commuter Car Parking Program and providing a $300m boost.

“I’ve asked Transport for NSW to prepare a business cases for the next round of station upgrades so that with this additional funding, we can accelerate the roll out of accessible stations across NSW and deliver accessible stations for areas like Yennora, Villawood and Carramar,” she said.

Fairfield Labor MP Dave Saliba said better accessibility for southwest Sydney train stations was a high priority.

Fairfield resident Pauline David no longer uses trains and instead takes taxis.

“It surprises me that in 2023 we still have train stations without lifts to facilitate access for those who need them,” he said in his inaugural speech in NSW Parliament.

“To justify the business case regarding these lifts, these are suburbs that are commercially and residentially underdeveloped and are situated on key train lines and geographically placed between key CBDs across Sydney.

“They are prime examples of suburbs we need to develop if we are to reach our population and economic growth goals.”

Ms Davis said she was tired of people with a disability “always being an afterthought” and was “fatigued” to still petition for lifts over 10 years on.

“Why are stations built without lifts and ramps … why should it be up to people with disabilities to speak up about these issues,” Ms David said.

Previous Fairfield MP Guy Zangari advocated for lifts for over a decade and said at the time “every single resident in our area should be able to access the rail network, nobody should be left behind because of mobility issues”.