The weekly timetable for the Inner West Light Rail will be boosted by an additional 95 services to help accommodate the increasing number of passengers using the system.
Since the extension to Dulwich Hill was completed in 2014, the light rail has seen an exponential rise in travellers. Early in 2016 an additional 90 services were added to the timetable but that quickly outgrew its adequacy prompting this latest increase which itself, may still be only a stop gap.
The landscape along the route of the Central to Dulwich Hill line has experienced massive development in recent years, with a significant number of high-rise residential apartment buildings flanking the railway tracks.
Fewer people are driving, opting out of the chaos and cost of negotiating through a city-wide construction zone. Add to that the fact that many of the light rail stops are tourist attractions and it’s easy to explain why carriages are chronically overcrowded.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance concedes there is a need to bolster the system and has outlined some possible solutions:
“Options being considered to further increase services include buying more trams, upgrading infrastructure, and using the existing fleet to insert extra services on parts of the line where the demand is highest”.
Greens MP and Member for Balmain, Jamie Parker was among the original campaigners for the light rail to built and has joined the chorus calling for improvments:
“The news this week that the government will increase services is a good step in the right direction. But it’s not a long term fix to overcrowding.
We need to see the government invest in new carriages, upgrade the line and ensure it integrates with the new services under construction. They need to make sure that the light rail can accommodate the increasing number of passengers who choose to take public transport instead of driving.”

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