Community slams sad state of Bomaderry railway amid upgrade demands

South Coast residents forced to endure painful wait times and the sorry sight of an outdated diesel locomotive have blown off steam toward the government, demanding the regional line be brought into the 21st century.

The Bomaderry to Kiama train line uses a diesel engine train. Picture: Van Mal Group Construction.

South Coast residents forced to endure painful wait times and the sorry sight of an outdated diesel locomotive have blown off steam toward the government, demanding the regional line be brought into the 21st century.

The calls for upgrades to the Bomaderry to Kiama line follow a survey by independent member for Kiama Gareth Ward, with 80 per cent of 1000 respondents expressing dissatisfaction with the railway’s condition and service.

A paltry 1 per cent said they were satisfied with the line.

“These results are a total condemnation on the management of local public transport,” Mr Ward said.

“Commuters are overwhelmingly not happy with a government that seems obsessed with fixing Sydney problems while ignoring regional NSW.”

The survey highlights the fact Shoalhaven passengers are forced to contend with two-hour wait times for an outdated, diesel train, before transferring to the modern, electric locomotive 40km north in Kiama.

Independent member for Kiama, Gareth Ward. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Survey respondents raised concerns about train safety and reliability given the train’s age, as well as service frequency.

“All of these things should be the most basic requirements in 2025 as part of modern and interconnected public transport network,” Mr Ward said.

Bomaderry Station. Picture: Van Mal Group Construction.

Shoalhaven councillor Matthew Norris has echoed the concerns, urging council to write to Mr Ward, South Coast MP Liza Butler and Transport Minister Jo Haylen to request electrification of the line and modern trains with regular services.

“This death of reliable transportation options pushes people toward the highway, despite its headaches of traffic jams and bottlenecks,” Mr Norris said.

“This reliance on the highway as the primary mode of travel between Kiama, Wollongong, and Sydney highlights the urgent need to revamp our outdated railway infrastructure.

“We envision a modernised railway system, complete with double-deck electric trains, equipped with CCTV and informative passenger displays.”

Shoalhaven councillor, Matthew Norris. Picture: Shoalhaven Council

In 2005, then Transport Minister John Watkins proposed electrifying the Bomaderry to Kiama line, but the plan stalled, with the only upgrade since being Opal Card tapping poles installed nearly a decade later in 2014.

“As our region experiences a surge in population growth, in addition to our season tourism influx and the development of new urban areas, the need for action becomes even more pressing,” Mr Norris said.

Despite Shoalhaven Council’s letter to Ms Haylen, she cited financial constraints a barrier to upgrades.

“The government inherited the largest debt in our state’s history, with the state on track for a record $187.5 billion in debt and a $7 billion black hole of unfunded programs,” she said.

“These budget conditions limit the number of capital investments our government can undertake in the immediate term,” she said.

Ms Haylen did note that $600,000 was recently spent to restore services after weather damage, with an additional $1.5m allocated to improve track resilience.

However, Mr Ward said it was nowhere near enough fiscally to fix the issues.

“I will be sharing this feedback with the government and encouraging the minister to come to our electorate and meet with commuters so she can act on this feedback,” he said.

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