Even more services for Sydney light rail. Image: Dushan Hanuska
The occasionally excruciating wait for the next trip at any of Sydney’s Inner West Light Rail stations could soon come to an end as the New South Wales government has announced that it will roll out up to 90 additional services during peak times.
And it’s to cater for large increases in customer demand, according to NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance, who said customer journeys between 2013-14 and 2014-2015 increased by nearly 60 per cent, from 3.9 million to 6.1 million, with journeys expected to increase further in coming years.
The government expects that these extra services will cut waiting times and ensure customers can catch a light rail service every eight minutes instead of every ten minutes on weekdays between 8am and 9am and between 4pm and 6pm.
According to the state government, the afternoon peak will also be extended by an hour on weekdays from 6pm to 7pm, with services running every ten minutes.
“People have voted with their feet on light rail and these extra services will be a welcome relief for customers,” Mr Constance said.
He said an extra 3,700 people each day will be able to travel on light rail between Dulwich Hill and Central when the line is busiest.
“Since we extended the Inner West Light Rail in March 2014 and introduced Opal later the same year, customers are really embracing the service. People are flocking to light rail and customer satisfaction is on the rise,” Mr Constance said.
“Demand for light rail is expected to rise so we’re putting on extra services to make sure we’re ahead of the curve,” he said.
“We know that more and more people are now travelling from Central Station and the Inner West to Pyrmont for work so these extra services will be a big boost for customers, as well as helping to expand Pyrmont as an important employment hub.”
The government has scheduled the bulk of the new AM and PM peak services to start from Monday 25th January 2016, with the remainder to start by the middle of the year.
And light rail will be the talk of the town in Melbourne in February 2016, where the Light Rail 2016 conference will be held. There are many issues that will be discussed, regarding management, planning, operations and other challenges that impact light rail operators.
