Passenger train disruptions up by more than 60 per cent (NSW)

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ABC News --> Passenger train disruptions up by more than 60 per cent after freight trains given priority

More than 2,000 New South Wales passenger trains are delayed or disrupted every year by freight train breakdowns, a number which has increased significantly under Liberal Government policies.

Passenger service disruptions have increased by 62.5 per cent across the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink network according to figures obtained by 702 ABC Sydney from Transport for New South Wales.

This increase has occurred since September 2011, when NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian began implementing the incoming Liberal government's policies giving priority to freight services.

The Transport Legislation Amendment Bill of 2011 abolished several state government departments and transferred their duties to the newly formed Transport for New South Wales.

This legislation increased the transport department's focus on freight transport systems.

In less than three years the number of passenger service disruptions caused by freight train breakdowns increased from 1,348 per year to 2,191 per year.

A spokesperson from Transport for New South Wales told 702 ABC Sydney they are working hard to provide reliable public transport for customers.

"More than 150 freight services operate on the Sydney Trains network each day and the majority of these freight services operate without incident," the spokesperson said.

Opposition leader John Robertson tweeted that he had rejected this proposal as transport minister because he foresaw the delays to passenger services prioritising freight services would cause.

The number of freight trains on the network is set to increase in coming years with plans underway for a new intermodal freight terminal in Moorebank in South Western Sydney.

One in four freight-related passenger train interruptions in NSW occur on the Newcastle and Central Coast Line with one section of the Newcastle and Central Coast Line responsible for over ten per cent of delays in NSW.

This is due in part to the large number of trains that travel between Sydney and Brisbane on this part of the line.

While the number of breakdowns has not increased since 2011, the number of delayed passenger services has.

The steep incline southbound between the Hawkesbury River and Cowan Station is the site of over 54 freight train breakdowns per year, disrupting 237 passenger services yearly.

Central Coast Commuters Association President Kevin Parish says that this incline has been an issue since it was built.

"Freight companies used to have spare locomotives stored at Hawkesbury River in order to help if a train got into trouble on their way up the hill," Mr Parish said.

Now the long freight trains are usually towed down the hill and stored in sidings at the riverside town of Brooklyn or at Gosford Station, over 30 kilometres away.

The breakdowns cause significant delays which are exacerbated in peak hour.

"Crossover tracks and two-way signals have been installed between the stations to help ease the problem, but the only long-term solution is a third track between the Hawkesbury River and Cowan," Mr Parish said.