Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

Yet the CityRail website simply says "Waitara and all stations to Roseville will receive a similar level of service, frequency and stopping patterns as in the current timetable. However, some departure times may change."

According to Action for Public Transport spokesman Jim Donovan, CityRail has chosen to run its trains in convoys for its own reasons, instead of providing the best evenly-spaced service possible for its customers. For all stations Waitara to Warrawee and Killara to Roseville, there will be a 15-minute gap where no citybound trains stop after the 8:09 from Hornsby. This is totally unacceptable at this time. A train from Wyong is to stop at Turramurra, Pymble and Gordon during this gap but won't be of much use as it will already be quite full.

The situation is no better for Wollstonecraft and Waverton. The CityRail website says "Customers should note that services from Chatswood to the City will be increased by up to 4 an hour." However, there is to be a 12-minute gap at Wollstonecraft between 8:16 a.m. and 8:28 with a similar gap at Waverton two minutes later. There is to be a 15-minute gap from 8:48 to 9:03. Again, these gaps are totally unacceptable in peak hour.

The afternoon peak won't be any better. There are to be no Gordon local trains after the 4:25 from Central, and there are to be some long gaps for Roseville and Lindfield. For example, 18 minutes between the 4:25 and the 4:43 from Central, 4:58 to 5:12 from Central (14 minutes), and 5:28 to 5:43 from Central (15 minutes).

Wollstonecraft is to have a 12 minute gap from 6:03 to 6:15, with Waverton suffering similarly. There are even two 20 min gaps later on - 7:22 to 7:42 and 7:52 to 8:12 (both from Central).

Off-peak, some Macquarie trains are proposed to terminate at North Sydney. This will force CBD passengers to change trains, delaying their journeys.

Jim Donovan says that CityRail is also missing an opportunity to speed up its trains. Following a perverse misinterpretation of the McInerney report, CityRail slowed its trains down partly in the name of safety. However, there is no evidence that slow trains are safer. Cities everywhere else in the world run fast safe trains.

Action for Public Transport urges readers to visit the CityRail.info website and check their own trains. Public submissions can be made until 19 December.

Contact:	Jim Donovan	0428-609-208
	Allan Miles	9516-1906