Article: Public will be CityRailroaded

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Public will be CityRailroaded

Public will be CityRailroaded
Article from: The Daily Telegraph

By Larissa Cummings and Edith Bevin

June 07, 2008 12:00am

CORRUPT RailCorp managers and contractors cost the organisation an estimated $20 million, but Transport Minister John Watkins would rather increase train fares to raise money than trim bureaucracy from the troubled CityRail.

The minister yesterday said a report by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommending the removal of 300 managers, 1176 train guards and 204 station staff to save $480 million in operational costs was merely a "discussion paper". Even with the staff cuts, the report suggested a fare increase of 20 to 30 per cent over four years to help cover costs.

Train fares up 30 per cent to pay for CitySnail

Mr Watkins said he "took issue" with the advice to cut resources, particularly in customer service.

"The Government will not accept any recommendation that reduces the level of service to the public," Mr Watkins said.

"We've got people coming back to public transport, in particular to rail. We want to keep them."

Mr Watkins said fares in Sydney were "modest" compared to the rest of the world and passengers would accept a price rise: "There will be fare increases in the future. No one likes them but most people would accept that fare increases are needed as the cost of money rises."

And, while a price hike was inevitable, a guaranteed seat is not.

"Part of the issue about seats on trains has been made worse due to the rapid growth (16 per cent) in patronage over the past eight months," Mr Watkins said.

"Not everyone is going to get a seat. It doesn't happen here, it doesn't happen in any rail system around the world."

Commuters were furious the Minister would consider raising fares after a NSW corruption inquiry recently revealed a group of RailCorp middle managers had defrauded $20 million in taxpayer funds.

Mr Watkins did not think passengers would make the connection.

"That may be a fact in certain people's minds, but I think far more to the forefront of people's minds is their day-to-day experience of the rail system. They're the matters people think about," Mr Watkins said.

Nicole Reardon, 21 from Kings Langley, said she would "love to tell (Mr Watkins) what I think".

She was forced to quit her job in school administration to find a job closer to home because of rail costs.

"It's already a lot to pay and now they're asking for more, but for what?" she said.