“If you have a bad accident … you can have people sitting in traffic going nowhere,and it just concertinas back through the system.”
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Babineau,who is a member of the government’s bus industry taskforce,repeated a warning about lack of drivers to run services during the year-long shutdown.
In the internal documents,Transport for NSW identifies availability of drivers as a “key risk”,as is contracting bus companies for the replacement services. There are 257 vacancies for bus drivers in Sydney.
The documents reveal that a similar plan for replacement bus services for theEpping-to-Chatswood line’s closure in 2018 took about 20 months to execute,from the initial request for tender to the first day of operations.
Transport for NSW closed the request for tender for Bankstown line replacement buses in October. The contract has yet to be awarded.
Coalition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said the government needs to provide free,consistent and reliable services during the metro line conversion.
“We are five months away and there has been no communication. Commuters in Sydney are about to experience why there is little confidence in the transport minister’s ability to manage the portfolio,” she said.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the conversion of the Bankstown line would be painful but,when complete,commuters would experience the same benefits as passengers on theNorthwest Metro rail line.
“Waiting times will be slashed across the Bankstown line,but it will also free up capacity on the City Circle,letting us run more reliable services for rail users across Sydney,” she said.
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“This isn’t the first time a government has converted a heavy rail line to a metro service,requiring a lengthy shutdown.”
The section of the Bankstown line to be closed cuts through Haylen’s Summer Hill electorate,and those of Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis ( Canterbury) and Customer Service Minister Jihad Dib (Bankstown).
Transport for NSW said Bankstown line commuters would receive comprehensive communications well in advance of the shutdown.
“We are in final commercial negotiations with bus operators now to design and develop a fit-for-purpose rail replacement service for the Sydenham to Bankstown 12-month shutdown,starting between July and October 2024,” it said.
The agency said extra passenger analysis was under way to ensure the proposed bus plan aligns as close as possible with passenger travel trends.
Before the 12-month shutdown,the line will be closed during school holidays for two weeks from April 13.