By Matt O'Sullivan
An extra 95 weekly services will run on Sydney's inner west light rail line from next Monday as the state government considers buying more trams to help ease crowding in carriages and on station platforms during peak periods.
Patronage has soared since a 5.6-kilometre extension of the line to Dulwich Hill in the inner west was opened three years ago, resulting in an increase in overcrowding on services.
The latest increase in services mean that trams will run every eight minutes on the weekdays between 7am and 8am instead of every 10 minutes. They are already operating every eight minutes at the "core peak time" of 8am to 9am.
So-called inter-peak services on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will also run more frequently. Those between 10am and 2pm will be every 13 minutes, instead of every 15 minutes, and those between 2pm and 3pm every 12 minutes (changed from 15 minutes).
Crowding has been deteriorating during peak periods on the light rail.Credit: Michael Vesic
The latest government data shows almost 10 million trips have been made on the inner west light rail line in the past 12 months. In contrast, the line carried about 4 million passengers a year before it was extended in early 2014.
Transport Minster Andrew Constance said the extra services were in response to customer concerns about crowding during morning and evening peak periods.
"We are currently working on how to best cater for current and future demand for light rail in the inner west," he said.
"Options being considered to further increase services include buying more trams, upgrading infrastructure, and using the existing fleet to insert extra services on parts of the line where the demand is highest."
Demand from services on Sydney's inner west light rail line has surged over the past three years.Credit: Christopher Pearce
The increase in capacity will also result in services between 10am and 3pm on Wednesdays running every 12 minutes – instead of every 15 minutes – to cater for greater demand for travel to shows at the Lyric and Capitol theatres.
An extra 30 services will be put on the line on Saturdays, resulting in trams running every 10 minutes between 11am and 5pm (previously 15 minutes) and every 12 minutes between 5pm and 7pm (up from 15 minutes).
Mr Constance said demand from commuters for light rail services had exceeded "all expectations", citing a near 60 per cent increase in journeys between 2013 and 2015.
Early last year an extra 90 services were put on to boost frequency on the 12.8-kilometre line during peak periods, and afternoon peak extended by an hour to 7pm.
ALTRAC, a consortium building a $2.1 billion light rail line from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kensington in the city's south east, operates the inner west light.