I WAS never wanting to introduce politics to the Goulburn rail debate but for the Member for Goulburn Pru Goward in Friday’s Goulburn Post to blame Labor for letting the state’s rolling stock deteriorate to an alarming degree and refusing to invest in our part of the network for 16 years, is absolute nonsense.

Firstly, it was not Labor’s fault people were caught out by poorly advertised revised train timings the previous Monday for that Party is not in power. Secondly, in the last years of Labor (an admittedly wasteful, excessively factional and somewhat corrupt government as the ICAC has proven), all trains serving the south of this state were completely upgraded.

All 39 Explorer and the 28 Endeavour cars were returned to their Victorian manufacturer during that time for rebuilds, the last cars being returned to service in 2010.

In addition, the fleet of 19 XPT locomotives and 60 passenger cars underwent upgrades and modernisation under contracts written by Labor.

In a $22 million programme aimed at extending their working lives by 20 years, the locos were re-engined with more efficient twin-turbo Paxman 12VP185 engines and in the latter days of Labor, were rewired and further improved, the last treated being loco No. XP2005 in April 2011.

The wheels seemed to fall off last year with the Coalition’s decision to form Sydney Trains (from the old CityRail) and NSW Trains (from CountryLink).

Because the old CityRail Endeavour diesel cars generally operate outside the Sydney Trains network, they were lumped into the NSW Trains’ business model. But here lies the integration issue for mostly due to varying fare structures and crewing awards, the Explorers and XPTs have since become known as NSW TrainLink.

This effectively created three operations out of the original two! Under the former model, the Countrylink equipment in particular looked clean and tidy. But they have become tattier and blander with front skirts on some XPT locos often missing, unwashed rust or oil streaking down some flanks and in an obvious move that clearly demonstrates how little NSW TrainLink management care for its image or brand, not one XPT loco or car nor most Endeavour vehicle has been ‘proudly’ given the revised business model’s identification despite the name change 15 months ago!

The NSW Trains model (ie: that serving country NSW) seems to be a third rate cousin to the Sydney system and despite Ms Goward’s “lobbying for improved reliability”, the system is totally deficient for many rural users. It is often hamstrung by trackwork, quite late running, maintenance issues which have included spare parts shortages and a lack of crew in some areas.

Ms Goward said “Our CityRail service is part of the largest metropolitan network in Australia”.

Two things here, the Goulburn line is not in the metropolitan area where the trains are electric and as I mentioned above, CityRail ceased to function as an entity in July 2013.

The government might come back at me and laud the new, soon to open South West Sydney rail line. But that route, as people who understand these things know, was a Labor initiative.

The Coalition might then say it has started the North West rail line after years of Labor procrastination.

But it is now being built to a much smaller profile that will not be able to integrate with the current double-deck network. And few will have seats! And, despite the numbers of Newcastle district politicians and developers having marched through the ICAC in recent months, the tens of thousands of petitions, and the NSW Parliament in mid September agreeing to a Greens’ inspired Parliamentary Inquiry into key planning decisions in the Newcastle and Hunter region, the Coalition continues its disgraceful plan to close the Newcastle rail line from Boxing Day. The line is being removed to allow for commercial development and eventually ‘toy’ trams will meet trains at Hamilton.

State Planners should encourage developers to buy air rights over the line for any true developer worth their salt would kill for a heavy rail line seamlessly bringing people from near and far right beneath their doors.

I am sorry, but rail in NSW needs to be run by adults.

* The author is a member of the Southern Tablelands Rail User Group, renowned rail author/photographer and former Goulburn Post journalist.

Footnote: The Greens successfully passed a motion in parliament on Thursday forcing the government to reveal a range of documents relating to the truncation of the Newcastle Rail Line, a move that will devastate public transport and connectivity in the Hunter. The motion requires the Government to release the cost benefit analysis, transport studies and any correspondence with former Newcastle Mayor Jeff McCloy, one of those that appeared before the ICAC.