Greg Price makes no bones about it: seats on intercity trains are "as hard as rocks."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In contrast, seats on the XPLORER trains are "quite comfortable."
So what's it to be on the state's new regional rail fleet soon to start manufacture?
Mr Price and the Southern Tablelands Rail User Group (STRUG), of which he is president, are lobbying for an up-close and personal look at the draft design of the new regional train fleet.
READ MORE:
But so far, they and three other rail action groups have only been offered a film screening in a virtual meeting.
Three mock-up carriages have been released for the 29 new trains, designed to replace the ageing TrainLink XPT, XPLORER and Endeavours under a $2.8 billion state government contract.
The "high fidelity mock-ups" are aimed at gaining feedback. Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole has even invited drivers and the public to walk through and "talk about what is needed for the trains' design."
Yet Mr Price said he'd struck out in securing a visual inspection for his and other rail groups.
"The (mock) carriages arrived in September/October and were taken to EDI's facility at Kelso, near Bathurst," he said.
"Some groups and politicians went through them but when we asked for an inspection we were told by Mr Toole's adviser that someone would contact us. Nothing happened."
Upon pressing the point, STRUG and three other rail action groups from Orange, the Albury area and another representing Canberra to Sydney users, were offered a film showing of the carriage design. It would give a 360-degree view and be screened at a virtual meeting on Tuesday.
Mr Price said while the groups accepted this "in the spirit of cooperation," it was no substitute for personally inspecting the carriages.
"We want to see them because otherwise we can't check the comfort of the seating or how easy it is to reverse them," he said.
"We need to assess the toilet facilities and what sun protection the intercity saloon windows offer from sunlight."
Similarly, STRUG and other groups are keen to see improvements for people with disabilities. For the vision impaired, this could include an audible noise and brighter red/green colour coding on toilet doors to indicate it had successfully locked.
"We want more comfortable seats on intercity trains because currently it is like sitting on rocks," Mr Price said.
"We also want more information on the seating layout."
In a video, Mr Toole described the new fleet as "state-of-the-art" with charging points, USB ports, CCTV cameras, more space for people with disabilities, bike racks and "seating that is more comfortable than ever."
However it's not clear if the design is consistent across the fleet, which comprises 10 regional intercity, nine short regional and 10 long regional trains. A total 117 carriages will be built.
Mr Price intends to ask these questions and more in Tuesday's two-hour meeting but fears time will be cut short by the film's screening.
"I see it as a way of reducing the amount of information we can get from NSW TrainLink and to lessen our input," he said.
ALSO READ: New police recruits ready to hit the streets
"I fully intend to ask for an onsite inspection...As far as I can see, so far it is only about what CAF wants, with little input from Transport for NSW."
Representatives of Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) will be at the meeting. The company leads Momentum Trains' contract with the state government to build the fleet, a maintenance facility at Dubbo and to maintain the trains for 15 years. Final fit-out and commissioning will also take place there.
The choice of Dubbo in 2017 drew flak from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, which described it as a "blatant attempt to pork barrel the electorate" where then Nationals member Troy Grant was "under threat."
The council had pressed Goulburn's credentials and the AMWU said the city "should have been in contention."
Then Goulburn MP Pru Goward rejected any suggestion of political interference.
Mr Price says Australia is also missing out on the trains' construction to a Spanish company.
"The Premier said Australia didn't build trains anymore but they've done it in Victoria and in Maryborough, Queensland where 20 new trains were built to overhaul the rail fleet. It employed 690 people," he told The Post.
"The only reason no one is building trains in NSW is because the government is looking overseas."
The STRUG president said he challenged former Transport Minister Andrew Constance during a 2018 Cabinet meeting in Goulburn on this point. The Minister replied it would have cost $750 million more. Mr Price rejects this as false economics.
"They would be far better off doing it here," he said.
"It provides local work and puts money into the economy, which the government gets back in taxes," he said.
The new regional train fleet is expected to be rolled out in early 2023.
We care about what you think. Have your say in the form below and if you love local news don't forget to subscribe.
Louise Thrower
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
