Epping to Chatswood rail shutdown: What you need to know
THE State Government has been accused of “rank incompetence” in “failing” to put the public in the picture about transport changes that await commuters during the Epping to Chatswood rail shutdown from September 30.
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THE State Government has been accused of “rank incompetence” in “failing” to put the public in the picture about transport changes that await commuters during the Epping to Chatswood rail shutdown from September 30.
Opposition transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay and Ryde Labor Mayor Jerome Laxale say they have been left to advise Sydney and Central Coast residents about the rail and bus overhaul — which will force 20,000 commuters onto buses and into their cars — after government representatives failed to attend recent community meetings.
Ms McKay said the closure was shaping up as a total trainwreck for north shore residents.
“The government is underprepared. I’ve had to go as far away as the Central Coast and tell people what’s going on,” Ms McKay told the North Shore Times.
“This is (Transport Minister) Andrew Constance’s job. He’s proven time and again he can’t do his job. The issue is here that there’s no confidence that he will be able to deliver this.
“There’s going to be a lot of confusion during the shutdown because people just don’t know what’s happening.”
Cr Laxale, who will challenge Ryde MP Victor Dominello at next year’s state election, said “a lot of the community” was “still in the dark” about the shutdown changes.
“I went to a Ryde Riverside business forum (on August 6) and there were no representatives from the State Government there,” he said. “I was fielding all the questions about the rail shutdown, like ‘When is it starting?’; ‘How long will it go for?’ and ‘How long are the bus routes?’
“And then the following day, Transport for NSW gave a presentation to council and said it had been engaging with the business community, which was laughable.”
Transport for NSW co-ordinator-general Marg Prendergast said it was “untrue” that her department had not engaged the community.
“Since Station Link was announced earlier this year, 123 community and business briefings have been held with a reach of 67,000,” she said.
“From next week, a high-profile advertising campaign will launch to ensure customers are aware of the changes.”
But Cr Laxale said the government had left its run too late and, as a result, the shutdown period would be “chaotic”.
“People’s lives will be severely impacted on because of the government’s rank incompetence,” he said.
The government’s response on Tuesday was to announce extra train services on surrounding lines to compensate for the shutdown.
Mr Constance conceded there would be disruptions but that it was sometimes necessary to “crack a couple of eggs to make an omelet”.
“We have a challenge here, we’re not hiding from it,” he said. “We know there will be disruption but once Sydney Metro opens in the second quarter of next year there will be a new, world-class metro service between Sydney’s fast-growing northwest and Chatswood.”
SUNNY SIDE UP FOR MAYOR
NORTH shore residents will be forced to cope with more than the loss of train services and heavily congested roads during the Epping to Chatswood rail shutdown.
Willoughby Council this week revealed 62 car spaces would be removed in Chatswood, St Leonards and Artarmon as a result of the closure from September 30.
In Chatswood, there will be eight spaces lost in Victoria Ave to accommodate temporary Station Link stops and a new bus layover area, as well as the taxi rank’s relocation to Brown St.
There will be 14 parking spots lost in Brown and Railway streets to cater for the extension of an existing bus zone and a no-stopping zone, along with the moved taxi rank. Additionally, in Help St, there will be a small extension of the existing no- stopping parking restrictions.
At St Leonards and Artarmon, car spots will be removed in Herbert St (11) and Clarendon St (9) to allow for the temporary bus zone changes.
The Pacific Highway, between Westbourne St and The Avenue at Gore Hill, will see six car spaces get the chop as a bus standby zone is installed.
Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney said she hoped residents would not be overly affected by the disruptions.
Continuing the breakfast metaphor of Transport Minister Andrew Constance earlier in the day, the independent Mayor — who is a member of the Liberal Party — said on Tuesday: “You can’t make an omelet without cracking a couple of eggs.”
“This metro project is a game-changer,” Cr Giles-Gidney said.
“We will be monitoring the changes with Transport for NSW very closely during the shutdown period so as to minimise the impacts.
“The changes to local roads are to accommodate the extra buses and we ask people to bear with us during these major rail improvements.
“We concede there’ll be short-term pain but the long-term gain will be worth it.”
While Cr Giles-Gidney sees the positives of the large-scale upgrade, her Ryde counterpart Jerome Laxale has applied the blowtorch to the government over a “failure” to make the promised $60 million road upgrades in his LGA to help ease congestion.
“Just like the light rail, they’ve come to this project underprepared,” he said.
“It’s been policy since 2011 to shut this rail line down. It’s just not good enough.”
PAIN COULD DRAG ON
THE rail upgrade between Epping and Chatswood is the last major piece of construction before the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro Northwest line is up and running next year.
A leaked document shows works could take longer than the forecast seven months, with transport officials expecting the Rouse Hill to Chatswood line to be open to passenger services on May 5 at the earliest.
The State Government concedes there will be short-term pain ahead of the long-term gain as it puts measures in place to help commuters cope with the rail upgrade.
Transport for NSW co-ordinator-general Marg Prendergast said a new fleet of 120 distinctive pink Station Link buses would operate on seven routes to “keep people moving in and around Macquarie Park”.
“To help transition into the temporary Station Link service … we are improving the road network,” she said.
“Before the Epping to Chatswood upgrade we will have completed new bus lanes, adjustments to lanes, medians, traffic islands, traffic lights, footpaths, drainage, utilities and road pavements.
“Claims that business and community groups are in the dark about upcoming transport changes in Macquarie Park are untrue. Transport for NSW has intensively engaged with the community to both communicate the disruption, and advise how best to plan for it.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
● From Sunday, September 30, Station Link buses will be turn-up-and-go with connecting services running every six minutes at peak commuter times.
● There will be seven bus routes; SL1 is the main, all-stops route running frequently every day.
● Other six routes to run from Monday to Friday.
● Five Station Link routes stop at Macquarie University Station.
● Customers will need an Opal card to travel on buses. A standard train fare will be charged.
● The average customer’s daily commute is set to be 10 minutes longer on a Station Link bus.
● On-demand services operate on weekdays from 6am-10am and 3pm-7pm. Fares from $2.60.
● From early September, visit the online ‘Trip Planner’ at transportnsw.info