Orange rail group denies Transport Minister's claim train too slow to compete with bus

Transport Minister Andrew Constance dealt a blow to extending the train service when he said in Orange last Friday that the bus was 30 minutes quicker.

But, the Orange Rail Action Group (ORAG) said the minister was misinformed as the Bathurst-Orange trip is actually two minutes quicker by train and the Orange-Bathurst trip just 10-15 minutes slower than the bus.

The group met Orange City Council staff on Tuesday to prepare a detailed response for council to approve before being sent to the government to renew the rail bid.

ORAG chairman Cr Neil Jones said that while the direct Orange-Bathurst coach takes 45 minutes the minister had not allowed for a 14 minute delay in the timetable between the coach arriving and the train departing. Cr Jones said that would disappear if there was no transfer.

And he said that as the return bus travelled via Blayney and Millthorpe it took two minutes longer than the current XPT travel time.

“The return journey is in fact longer by coach.

“The claimed time saving only applies for the journey from Orange to Bathurst and then in relation to the waiting time at Bathurst, it’s really only in fact about a 10 minute difference. The time issue I don’t believe is the key criteria that we should judge the future of this opportunity.”

Cr Jones said extending the train service to Orange would support Mr Constance’s aims of improving public transport services to country areas.

“We believe the Bathurst Bullet commencing its journey in Orange will achieve those aims.

“It enables a seamless journey to Sydney. Older people, people with family, people with disabilities, they can get on a train much easier than getting on a coach and then have to manage their own luggage on to the Bathurst Bullet.”

Cr Jones said a train service starting in Orange would double the 16 per cent improvement in patronage on the bus quoted by Mr Constance.

And he said Orange could handle overnight stabling of the train.

“We’ve got here at the Orange railway station existing rail infrastructure that would enable the train to be stabled here overnight. We don’t believe the stabling should be a major issue,” he said.