Major changes to Lidcombe and Granville train services, again
Significant changes to the NSW train timetable are set to affect commuters along the western railway line, with a reduction in express train services during the AM peak hour and the slower trains taking even longer to get to
the city for those travelling from the western suburbs to Sydney.
As part of the new timetable — which will be introduced on Sunday 20th October 2024 — all weekday express trains that are currently stopping at Granville station in the early morning have been cancelled, and all the city express services that stopped at Lidcombe station during the 8am hour have also been cancelled — there are now three additional express services from Lidcombe during the 6am hour, but none after that time until after 9am.
All-stop trains from Parramatta
One of the most notable changes to trains involves T2 inner west services now stopping at all stops from Parramatta to the city. These trains travel via Granville, Auburn, Lidcombe, Strathfield and Petersham to the city. Currently, not all T2 inner west trains stop at every station, some only stop at most stations — but that is about to change.
‘Change at Strathfield’
The removal of the Granville and Lidcombe express services, and the introduction of T2 all-stops service, will now mean that passengers that want to travel to the city quicker from Sydney’s west and southwest will only be able to change trains at Strathfield where they can join a express train for the final leg into Central railway station. This will result in additional foot traffic at Strathfield railway station, which at peak hour has passengers moving at a shuffling pace.
Winners
There appear to be two winners from the 2024 train timetable change:
+ City-bound passengers travelling from west of Parramatta will now be on trains that won’t stop at Granville or Lidcombe during the AM peak hour
+ Passengers at inner west railway stations like Stanmore will now have a dramatic increase in rail services — for example, city-bound services during the 7am hour will jump from seven services to 11 services
Losers
Passengers from Sydney’s southwest — areas like Fairfield, Guildford and Merrylands — and passengers from the rail corridor between Granville and Lidcombe who previously changed at either Granville or Lidcombe for a faster trip to the city will either have to change at Strathfield for an express train or endure a long and crowded journey to the city.
Reducing express services since 2006
An examination of express train services for passengers in Granville and Lidcombe shows a dramatic decline in the number of services since the release of the 2006 train timetable, and it also shows a dramatic rise in the time it takes for passengers to travel to and from the city.
Longer travel times
An express service from Granville to Sydney’s Town Hall took 28 minutes in 2006. But, commencing on 20th October 2024, the fastest trip by a standard train service from Granville to Town Hall will be 44 minutes — similar to catching a train from Blacktown to the city. If you happen to catch one of the new all-stops trains to the city, it could take you 50 minutes to travel between Granville and Town Hall.
AM peak hour express services — Granville to the city
AM peak hour express services — Lidcombe to the city
Why was Thursday 16th February 2023 important?
The changes have come as a surprise to many local residents, particularly in light of promises made during the 2023 New South Wales state election when several Labor MPs announced a review into express trains across Sydney. One local western Sydney MP stood alongside the future transport minister, Jo Haylen, for a photo at Granville station, and stated on her social media: ‟Great news — NSW Labor will review the train timetable and deliver more express services across Sydney, including Granville. Granville hasn’t had express services for nearly a decade and the faster T1 Western line only stops at Granville on weekends and late at night. At the same time, huge towers have been built right next to the station and the population of the suburb will almost double” — Granville state MP Julia Finn on Facebook on Thursday 16th February 2023.
On the same day, incoming premier of NSW, Chris Minns held a media conference with Ms Haylen in Riverwood announcing Labor’s bold express rail policies — He stated: “Suburban stations across Sydney including Leppington, Campbelltown, Granville, Lidcombe and Riverwood have seen cuts to their express connections to Parramatta and the CBD. These communities are surging in growth but passengers are leaving the train network.”
Watch the express train policy announcement here.
With these new changes, many commuters are left wondering why the long-promised review of express rail services on the Sydney rail network has taken a different direction than expected.
More reading
Less peak hour trains stopping at Granville railway station — See the 2006–2024 data here
I’d like to hear your views about these slower trips to Sydney’s CBD and other public transport issues, drop me a note on social media @BrendenWood — I’m on Facebook, Threads, Instagram and Twitter/X.
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