THE promise of $1 billion worth of express passenger trains (XPTs) was one of the main announcements to come out of the Nationals’ launch yesterday and will be welcomed by public transport users.
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The need for new trains is unquestionable.
The current engines are 30 years old, the NSW Transport Master Plan has said they can only be maintained until next year, and they are breaking down more frequently as they age.
We also know trains are important from an access perspective. A Charles Sturt University report pointed out this week a coach-only system could mean less physically able sections of the community could stop catching public transport altogether.
With Deputy Premier Troy Grant listing Wi-Fi, more comfortable seating and dining, and significantly faster travel times as features of the new trains, it seems like a vote-sealing election promise.
However, the concern with this announcement is that no delivery date has been set.
The Coalition has promised to begin procurement in the next term of government and ask customers what they would like from the fleet, but it is unclear when the engines would be operational.
Procurement can be a years-long process and the question needs to be asked whether the existing XPT fleet would be kept running in the meantime, and what this would mean in light of the master plan’s earlier claims.
If the interim solution means coaches, elderly people and those with a disability could be in for a couple of long and painful years, whether they brave the coach stairs, ask friends and family for a car ride to Sydney, or avoid travelling completely.
