Mark Speakman
NSW Leader of the Opposition
Natalie Ward
Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads
Sydney’s train network is now less reliable than ever, leaving commuters stranded, frustrated and late. Under the Minns Labor Government, one in every ten trains has been late for almost two years straight.
Despite three budgets, three reports and two separate reviews, the Minns Labor Government has failed to fix the basics.
The latest figures obtained by the NSW Opposition through Budget Estimates show infrastructure-related defects on the rail network hit record highs between April and August this year. June alone saw 39,634 faults, followed by 38,932 in July and 38,912 in August.
While the former NSW Liberals and Nationals Government delivered world-class, transformative infrastructure that has changed the face of Sydney forever, Labor has shown no progress on what they deliver or do.
Piggy-backing on the hard work of the former government does not make you an originator. It shows a government with no ideas, no drive and no capacity to deliver its own vision for NSW.
Only the NSW Liberals and Nationals have the track record and the know-how to get NSW building again.
These figures expose a government that has chosen political spin over performance. With a Labor-appointed mate as the NSW Secretary of Transport, it stands to reason that Sydney Trains operates on a PR footing rather than a delivery footing.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said Labor’s obsession with image has replaced real management.
“Chris Minns promised better transport but has only delivered delays. Families are waiting longer because Labor is focused on PR, not performance. They inherited a world-class network and turned it into a reliability crisis,” Mr Speakman said.
Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads Natalie Ward said the Minns Labor Government puts politics before passengers.
“The Minns Government talks about accountability but delivers excuses. With a Labor insider running Transport, the focus is media management, not commuter outcomes. Sydney Trains has become a PR machine while commuters pay the price,” Ms Ward said.
The NSW Opposition is calling on the Minns Labor Government to prioritise investment in maintenance, reliability and performance to restore confidence in Sydney’s transport network and deliver the service commuters expect in a global city.