Almost 7000 defects on the Western Line have been fixed under a massive repair plan from Sydney Trains.
The Sydney Trains Rail Repair Plan has reached a series of key milestones ahead of schedule since the State Government launched the work in 2023. On the Western Line, 632 high priority defects and 6,738 total defects have been repaired.
Additionally, 53 Temporary Speed Restrictions have also been removed which facilitates faster trips for those using train services.
State Member for Penrith, Karen McKeown, acknowledged the Penrith community for their ongoing patience while the rail line is undergoing a series of trackwork.
“I would like to thank Penrith commuters and residents for their patience and understanding,” she said.
“And our hardworking staff for striving to deliver a reliable and safe rail network that the people of western Sydney deserve.”
The Sydney Trains Rail Repair Plan was launched in June 2023 with the goal of increasing the reliability and resilience of the transport network.
Between September 2023 and March 2024 the average peak on-time running was at its most efficient since 2021.
However, trains have not met their on-time running target of 92 per cent on the Western Line since well before the Labor Government was elected to power in March 2023.
In March 2024, only 80.7 per cent of trains met on-time running targets on the Western Line. In April, the figure is on track to be significantly less than 80 per cent.
The $97 million Sydney Trains Rail Repair Plan has fixed 1916 high priority defects across the network and a total of 29,000 defects in total have been repaired since its inception.
The plan aimed to remove 75 per cent (1916) of the high priority defects to reduce the maintenance backlog within a period of 12 months.
As the repair work has reached its goal ahead of time Sydney Trains has agreed to a revised goal to remove 2116 high priority defects by the end of June 2024.
Once the Rail Repair Plan is complete trackwork will continue and utilise periods of less patronage including school holidays and across weekends.
