An inquiry into the reliability of Sydney’s trains has yielded some damning results, with figures revealing the extent of scheduled stops that are regularly being skipped.
Data released under freedom of information laws shows the least reliable network is the Airport Line, particularly at Wolli Creek and Sydney’s international and domestic airport terminal stations.
Between November 2017 and early February, the Wolli Creek stop was missed by trains a total 27 times, while the airport stops were missed 12 times each.
Data released under freedom of information laws has revealed the amount of scheduled stops regularly missed or skipped on Sydney’s rail network
The data showed the Airport Line and North Shore Line were the worst for stations missed
Second-worst was the North Shore line, with Artarmon being skipped 11 times throughout the period of a few months and Waitara, Waverton and Wollstonecraft each skipped 10 times, Sydney Morning Herald reports.
These figures follow the roll-out of a new Sydney trains timetable late last year, indicating a spike in missed train stops after the changes were introduced.
In the weeks leading up to the roll-out on November 26, trains missed an average of about two stops a day.
In the 10 weeks after the roll-out, that average peaked at almost six stops.
The figures follow the roll-out of a new Sydney trains timetable late last year, indicating a spike in missed train stops after the changes were introduced
Labor transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay said the data indicated early on that there was an issue with the new timetable.
‘If the reports weren’t enough to convince [Sydney Trains] there was a problem, looking at the data on the number of skipped stops should have been,’ she said.
But Sydney Trains have defended their right to skip stops when necessary, claiming that stations missed represent less than 0.1 per cent of the several hundred thousand scheduled stops made each month.
A Sydney Trains spokesperson claims that stations missed represent less than 0.1 per cent of the several hundred thousand scheduled stops made by the rail network each month
‘We recognise it can be frustrating for customers when their station is skipped, but we only skip stops as a last resort during incidents on our network,’ they said in a statement.
‘When this occurs, we make sure there is another service arriving soon for these customers to board.’