Penrith commuters are continuing to struggle with delayed trains on their journey home, with on-time running targets nowhere near being met in the PM Peak.
Transport for NSW figures reveal that just 67.9 per cent of trains ran on time in the PM Peak on the Western Line in May. That’s down from 75.3 per cent last May and well below the on-time running target of 92 per cent.
The figures were worse in April, with just 58.1 per cent of afternoon peak trains running on-time, compared to 68.9 per cent 12 months earlier.
The PM on-time running target hasn’t been met since way back in January 2022 when Sydney was still recovering from the COVID lockdowns and summer holidays were in full swing.
But if getting home from work is a struggle, getting there is at least a little easier.
The on-time running target for AM Peak trains was met in April, with 95 per cent of services running on time. And the target was almost met in May, with 91.3 per cent of trains running on time.
Commuter Chris Thomas said the train network tends to be a lottery.
“There’s always something. Last week I was on a train from the city to Kingswood, and all of a sudden the schedule changed and it flew past Kingswood, meaning I had to double back to Kingswood from Penrith,” he said.
“It’s a lot better than it was a few years ago and catastrophes seem less, but it’s still pretty unreliable – especially in the afternoon.”
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.