NSW transport minister Andrew Constance says the addition of 90 extra peak-time services per week on Sydney’s Inner West Light Rail line will cater for large increases in customer demand.
According to Transport for NSW statistics, customer journeys on the Inner West Line rose nearly 60% between 2013/14 and 2014/15, from 3.9 million to 6.1 million.
Further increases in passenger numbers are expected in coming years.
“People have voted with their feet on light rail and these extra services will be a welcome relief for customers,” Constance said last week. Thanks to the additional services, 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.”
The minister said 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.
The afternoon peak will also be extended by an hour on weekdays from 6pm to 7pm, with services running every ten minutes, Constance added.
“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 bulk of the new morning and afternoon peak services began on Monday, January 25. All new services will be in place by the middle of the year.