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Labor’s rail plan to benefit Macarthur area commuters

LABOR will commit $10 million into a study to speed up trains between Sydney and Canberra, with potential upgrades to the line in the Macarthur region.

Wollondilly Labor candidate Jo-Anne Davidson, Campbelltown MP Greg Warren and deputy Labor leader Michael Daley at Menangle Park Station today.
Wollondilly Labor candidate Jo-Anne Davidson, Campbelltown MP Greg Warren and deputy Labor leader Michael Daley at Menangle Park Station today.

LABOR will commit $10 million into a study to speed up trains between Sydney and Canberra. with potential upgrades to the line in the Macarthur region.

Deputy Labor Leader Michael Daley was in Menangle Park today, hours after Premier Gladys Berejiklian addressed the Greater Narellan Business Chamber at Club Menangle, to announce that Labor, if elected into power at next year’s state election, would fund a business case to reduce the travel time by rail between Canberra and Sydney.

Mr Daley said the ACT’s Labor Government would commit $5 million alongside a NSW Labor Government.

“This line takes four hours on average between Canberra and Sydney,” Mr Daley said.

“It’s a slow long windy old route and the people along this route deserve better … it’s not electrified and the trains aren’t airconditioned.

Labor will fund a business case study for rail between Sydney and Canberra if elected.
Labor will fund a business case study for rail between Sydney and Canberra if elected.

“The aim is to get travel down to three hours, and improvements along this line include better signalling, overtaking lanes for freight vehicles and straightening of the lines.”

Wollondilly and Campbelltown councils have previously called for the rail line beyond Macarthur station to be electrified.

Mr Daley said the business case would identify whether there was a need for electrification and he promised any improvements would benefit Wollondilly shire commuters.

“The population along the line is increasing massively and so is tourism … areas such as Campbelltown are really pulling their weight in terms of additional population and business growth and there are people in Wollondilly and Southern Highlands who get completely forgotten about,” he said.

Mr Daley said Labor would look to have the business case completed in 18 months of being in government.

About a third of Wollondilly shire residents travel into Sydney for work each day.

A Campbelltown Council study of car park usage at Campbelltown station conducted late last year found about 20 per cent of commuters using the station come from the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee shires.

Campbelltown celebrated 50 years since the electrification of rail to the region this year. Picture: Simon Bullard)
Campbelltown celebrated 50 years since the electrification of rail to the region this year. Picture: Simon Bullard)

Campbelltown state Labor MP Greg Warren said electrifying the rail line south of Macarthur station was important to service new communities springing up in areas such as Menangle Park, which is about to see more than 4000 homes developed.

“We need to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, and deliver for what this new community is going to need,” he said.

“That’s the Government’s role; if it’s good enough for them to allocate the thousands of new families and dwellings here then they have to deliver the infrastructure that community is going to need to thrive.

“I’m looking forward to the business study and I call on the Government to follow Labor’s lead because we need to be talking about extension of the electric rail because it then integrates with the existing rail network; we need to be smart about how we do this and having connectivity in place that integrates with existing services is so important.”

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/labors-rail-plan-to-benefit-macarthur-area-commuters/news-story/f6239a34f36c1504cf875f2745e21954